Stitches
by Astarpen
Summary: Santana shook her head. Maybe she could borrow Charlie's phone again and break it on accident. That would give her an excuse to put such an old brick out of its misery. "Come sit down and I'll get my bag out of my car. Then I can take care of your stitches."
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Welcome to Stitches, some of you have already read this first chapter so thank you for being subscribed to my tumblr, or you've read it because you're a , and you've read the entire story. Thank you for being a patron.**

 **Summary: Santana shook her head. Maybe she could borrow Charlie's phone again and break it on accident. That would give her an excuse to put such an old brick out of its misery. "Come sit down and I'll get my bag out of my car. Then I can take care of your stitches."**

 **Song: Stitches - Shawn Mendes**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

She shuffled the wrapped box in her calloused hands as she waited for the school bus to arrive. She was a good distance away from the other parents, her presence made them nervous. Maybe it was the poorly done stitch job down on her eyebrow, or the fact that it looked like someone had taken out of her ear, they had. It could also be that she was an Alpha without a mate.

Their stares don't bother her anymore, she's well aware that they're never going to accept her. It didn't mean that she didn't try. She was polite, and she tried to be as helpful as possible, when she could. She was _civilized_ even when they thought she wasn't. She kept her distance and stayed away from the mated omegas and for the most part minded her own business. She thought that maybe if they saw that she was here, every day just waiting, someone would get curious. Someone would say something to her to start a conversation, but they didn't. They probably never would.

Her ears perk up a bit and she turns to see the yellow and black bus slowing down as it pulls into the curb and she straightens herself out a bit. It didn't bother her that they didn't like her, she wasn't that good with people anyway. She hadn't been in years. It bothered her that they took out their prejudices against her on her daughter and so maybe she didn't put in the effort she should. The doors open up and she waits patiently, not approaching the parents who are crowding by the bus entrance.

A blonde streak managed to tear away from the herd of children and made a beeline towards her, causing her to drop to one knee and open her arms as small arms wrapped around her neck tightly hugging her. "Hey there Harper, how was school today?"

"We learned about the big bang," Harper said in an excited tone and looked at the wrapped gift and grinned at her mom. "Are we going to Beth's birthday party now?"

"Yeah, she's having it at Chuck-E-Cheese remember? So you get to have pizza and play in the arcade," she replies as she stands up and offers her hand to her daughter to hold. "So you want to tell me about the big bang? Did it really go _bang?_ "

She was met with a laugh from Harper revealing that she was missing her two bottom teeth, "No silly—but it was an explosion. So maybe it did go bang—I've never seen things explode before," Harper explains crinkling her nose and looks up at her mother noticing the injury from the night before. "How's your cut? Is it getting better?"

She touched the stitched up wound on her eyebrow absentmindedly, "Of course, give it a few days and it'll be all better. Now what have I told you about worrying about me?"

"It's not my job," Harper whines. "It's your job to worry about me," Harper shakes her head not pleased with this. Charlie was her only mom, she didn't have another one.

"That's right," Charlie says and gently taps Harper's nose. She moves down to her car and opens the door for her daughter, noticing her hesitation. "Don't worry it's fixed," Charlie insists. "I did it myself."

"There was smoke the last time," Harper reminds her, and her mother had ordered her out of the car.

"I fixed it, I promise and the next fight I win, I promise we're going to get a new car." Just the parts for fixing this one had taken a huge chunk out of her winnings from last time and she wasn't sure if she had enough for food this week for the two of them. It simply meant that she'd have to eat as much pizza as she could and make sure that Harper had all three meals. She just needed to tell her daughter that she was trying to make weight.

"Really? Can I help pick it out?" This seemed to distract Harper enough to get into the car and she let her mom help her with her seatbelt.

"Obviously, we have to make sure it's _cool_ right?"

"Right," Harper laughed again.

Charlie smiled, ignoring the pain in her face as she did and handed Harper the wrapped present. "Don't worry we got her a cool gift." Charlie promises. Thirty bucks for some toy that Harper insisted that Beth would love. She hadn't minded back then, they had been ahead this month until the car broke down. It was going to be a tight month but they got through it. They had for the past six years. She takes Harper's backpack and lunchbox and places them in the back seat before she gets into the driver seat.

"Are grandma and grandpa coming?" Harper asks as the car starts, she stares waiting for a plume of smoke to sputter out from the engine but it didn't and she relaxed. All her mom needed to do was win again and they could get a new car.

"Of course, you know how they love spending time with their favorite granddaughters—but uh, Harper, let's not tell them about the car breaking down alright? They're, old we don't want to worry them."

Harper nods and zips her lips closed, pretending to toss away the key. "Okay," she grins when her mom holds out her pinky. "I pinky-swear." Her small finger curls around Charlie's and they shake on it.

If her parents knew they would insist on buying her a new car, and she would never be able to pay them back. They'd say it was a gift or a simple assurance into Harper's safety, but she was an alpha she had to provide for her family. She was too proud to go to them to come bail her out. She wasn't a teenager anymore. Besides they had done enough, she rented an apartment from them. They would only take five hundred a month for the small two bedroom, but at least she was giving them something. Even when things were tight, she still managed to get her rent in on time every single month, despite her parents saying that it was okay to be late.

* * *

Charlie watched from beside the food table as Harper ran with Beth and a couple of the other kids ran toward a giant flashing arcade game. She took another slice of pizza, feeling only a little bad that she was filling up but it was sucky pizza and Quinn and Rachel were loaded. She kept an eye on her daughter, not wanting to impede her opportunity to have fun with the other kids, but places like this were creepy and she wasn't going to let her guard down just because they were at a kids' arcade. She saw Quinn glance over at her out of the corner of her eye and rolled her eyes when her twin approaches her. She didn't need Quinn's pity, she was an alpha too and she took damn good care of her daughter.

"I'm surprised you came." Quinn admits, looking over the more obvious of Charlie's injuries with a frown. She had long ago given up trying to convince Charlie she didn't have to fight to make a living, but it didn't mean she accepted it.

Charlie shrugged. "Harper wanted to be here." She also had about a million texts from her mother about this party and given the amount of free babysitting she milked out of her parents, it was the least she could do.

Quinn rolls her eyes. She loved her niece, but she wasn't _delighted_ that Charlie was here. Regardless, she had followed her parent's pleas and had invited every single parent she knew. And yet her twin stood next to the _food_. No wonder she was still unmated. "Have you tried talking to any of the other parents?" She suggested pointedly.

"No. I'm not here to make friends." Charlie frowned when Harper ran beyond her view with some of the other kids to the far corner of the arcade. "It's not like I would have anything in common with them."

Quinn scoffs. "Everyone here is a parent. What more do you want?"

"I don't want anything." Charlie smirks when she looks at some of the other parents. "And I especially don't want to mingle with a bunch of _betas_." She spat the last word out like it left a bad taste on her tongue.

Quinn didn't know what problem Charlie seemed to have with betas, but she was tired of this regular fight. "There are some omegas here too." She notes.

"I should go check on her—"

"She's _fine._ " Quinn assures. "Let her be a kid for a few minutes."

Charlie bristles. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She would give her life for her daughter and she might be a fuck up in a lot of areas, but she didn't fuck up when it came to Harper. She was a good mother and even though she wished she could do more for her kid, they got by.

But Quinn was an alpha too and wasn't about to back down. "It _means_ that she's a seven year old omega who shouldn't be trying to take care of her deadbeat mom."

"Fuck you." Charlie snarls at her. She wants to say more but when people turn to look at them she quiets down, she wasn't going to make a scene at Beth's birthday. She did actually like her and Beth didn't seem to be afraid of her.

Quinn shrugged, she could think of so many biting comments to add but she choose not to, instead smiling to show everyone that everything was fine. That her unmated sister wasn't going to go on a murderous rampage. She eyed Charlie carefully and took a step back just to be safe, she probably wasn't. "You need to find a mate."

"I'm not a deadbeat, I provide for my kid. I help her with her homework, I make sure she had clean clothes and I take care of her," Charlie manages to defend herself. "I didn't abandon her."

Quinn sighs, "You're right, I'm sorry. But my point stands, you're an _alpha_. Harper is an omega, she does worry about you. You're the only alpha in her life and you don't have an omega of your own. Which means she's going to worry, she's going to try and take care of you, it's what she's hardwired to do. You _need_ to find a mate Charlie, so she can _just_ be a kid."

Charlie shifts, she doesn't want to admit that Quinn as a point. "We're fine being on our own." she says finally. They look out for each other. All she needed to do was start winning fights again and they'd be okay.

Quinn pinches the bridge of her nose, they've had this conversation—no argument before and she can't be bothered to have it again. Not at Beth's party. "Look mom and dad made me invite all my single omega friends, can you just—I don't know talk to one? So they can get off my back?"

Charlie glanced over again, they were mingling with the Beta's and she clenched her fist tightly, "I'll think about it," she says finally.

"Don't think about it, just _do_ it," Quinn said and glanced at the pizza that Charlie had been picking at. Beth loved it but honestly the pizza tasted like cardboard that had some cheap cheese and tomato sauce dumped on it. She wonders if money is tight again this month, she would offer to buy Charlie groceries but she knows her twin would _never_ accept it. She didn't understand why Charlie had to be so difficult half the time. She grumbles and goes to find Rachel. She needed her mate so she didn't feel the urge to smack Charlie upside the head for being so frustrating.

She didn't understand how it happened, Charlie had been bright she could have gone on to become a lawyer or a doctor, or maybe even president. But just as they were entering high school, things derailed for her twin. She started skipping class, withdrawing from life. She got expelled twice for viciously beating up other alpha's and a few beta's. She joined up with the wrong crowd and eventually dropped out of school. Her father tried to be stern with her to get her ass back into gear, but she simply left. Dropped out of their lives completely. Until two years later when she had come home carrying a child.

Charlie grinds her teeth but chooses to stay quiet. "I'm going to go check on Harper," She declares, entering the arcade. She wasn't going to say anything, she was just going to watch from afar and make sure her daughter was having fun and none of the damn Beta parents were talking to her.

Quinn shakes her head, she wasn't sure why she even bothered. It's not like Charlie had ever listened to her before. Soft arms circle around her waist and her irritation almost entirely disappears. This was why alphas needed omegas.

"She'll find a mate in her own time." Rachel assures. It unnerves her, a little, to see Quinn this upset. But after years of family functions, she's used to Quinn's frustrations regarding her twin. Charlie wasn't a _bad_ alpha, not like movies and the media made most unmated alphas seem. She was just lost.

Quinn sighs and leans back against her mate. "I doubt it, but it's not worth worrying about."

Rachel's about to counter, pointing out how important Charlie's happiness is to Quinn when a familiar face breezes by.

"Sorry I'm late." Quinn's best friend, Santana deposits the large gift she's carrying on the floor beside the food table.

"No you're not." Quinn scoffs. Santana is almost never on time, so she honestly hadn't been expecting her for another half hour. She eyes the present on the floor, "Please tell me that isn't something ridiculously expensive and impractical."

Santana smirks, "Fine I _won't_ tell you," she laughs easily at the huff that Quinn makes and grins at Rachel who sighs. "What? You just told me that I had to be here for whatever reason. So where's the little lizard?" Santana asked. "She should totally come say hello to her auntie Snixx."

"It's her birthday party, we're at Chuck-E-Cheese's, where do you think she is?" Quinn said waving towards the arcade. "You'll see her when you see her—must you really get her big expensive presents?"

"Yep. Who else am I going to spoil rotten?" Santana asked, there was another laugh. "Did you really need to have it _here_? She does know that this place has the worst—"

Rachel grimaces. "I know, the food here is deplorable. But honestly, Santana, Beth has plenty of toys and hardly needs any more expensive gifts." She joins her wife in chastising their friend, unaware that Santana was no longer paying attention. Santana was hopelessly single, and while that didn't carry the stigma for an omega like it did for an alpha, she just hoped that one day Santana could find the right person.

"You okay?" Quinn asked, watching Santana carefully.

"Yeah—there's an alpha here—" she blinks and turns back to them, the smile back on her face. "How do I look? And yes Quinn, I am going to try and pick someone up at your daughter's birthday party. And to answer the question you're about to ask, I have _absolutely_ no shame. I thought we already knew this."

"No, _no_ , you are not doing this. The only alphas here are my Dad and my twin sister." Quinn shuddered at the thought.

Santana frowned. She hadn't ever smelt anything like this, but it was just her luck that it came from one of two mated alphas. "Well I certainly don't want to be your future step-mother, that would be awkward," Santana smirked. "Although—"

"Gross," Quinn interrupted shaking her head. She didn't want to think about it and her parents were happily mated. Santana wouldn't be able to break that bond.

But Santana loved getting under Quinn's skin. "Come on, Q. I thought you said I needed to find an alpha."

"Not at my daughter's birthday party, you don't." Quinn groused. Why were they friends again? She had only invited Santana to come because Beth wanted her here. She _definitely_ didn't want to parade her best friend in front of her disaster of a twin.

Rachel hit Quinn's arm softly. "But Charlie's here."

"The mysterious twin with the kid?" Santana clarified. "Why do I care about yet another mated Fabray?"

Rachel blinked and turned to Quinn, "You never _told her_?" she questions her mate.

"Never told me what?" Santana frowned glancing at Quinn who looked away. She turns back to Rachel, if Quinn was going to keep being mysterious about her twin sister then she was going to get some answers. "Hobbit."

Rachel rolled her eyes at the nickname. This was ridiculous, Santana was a grown up. She doubted anything would come of it, but she might as well tell Santana. "Charlie doesn't have a mate,"

"But she has a kid." Santana frowned. It wasn't unheard of, but it was rare for an alpha to be a single parent. Typically that only happened if the alpha's mate died, but she had heard of them where the alpha had a kid with an unmated omega who later mated with a different alpha. The only reason she knew the second one could even happen was because it had been part of a question on her public health exam back in med school.

Quinn frowned, her family didn't exactly discuss this publicly. It was a bit of an embarrassment, and truthfully it wasn't anyone else's business. But this was Santana, they had been friends for years. She was sort of Beth's unofficial godmother. "She never mated so far as I know. Honestly I don't know most of the details, all I know is she got an omega pregnant. The omega dumped the kid on her. Here we are seven years later. I don't know the name of the omega or even how much contact she has with her, probably not a lot." Quinn shrugged. It's news to Santana and she can practically hear the gears in her head turning. "Don't, you're my best friend and Charlie is well—Charlie. I love her, don't get me wrong but—" Quinn didn't know how to describe it. She didn't _know_ her twin as well as she used to. Not anymore. It was rare to see her unless she need some babysitting or they bumped into each other during family get-togethers, sort of like this one.

Santana slapped Quinn's shoulder with the back of her hand. "I can't believe you."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "I don't care if you can't believe me. She's my sister and you're my best friend. It's her business and she's a pretty private person. It wasn't any of your business."

Santana went to retort, only to stop as a blonde woman approached, scratching the back of her neck. "So is the cake here?" Harper was fine, and had beaten her in some silly arcade game. It had probably made her day. She pauses and notices that her sister and Rachel were talking to someone else and her eyes fall on an omega. They linger for a moment just a brief moment before she turns back to Quinn promptly ignoring the omega. "So cake?"

"The cakes been here for over an hour." Quinn frowned, folding her hands over her chest and pointing to the food table. "You should know. You've been standing next to it the whole time."

"Oh." Charlie's brow furrowed. "Then what—?"

Santana eyed Quinn's twin closely. They really were identical. Well, other than the badly stitched eyebrow and the fact that Charlie was clearly more defined than her twin. "Santana Lopez." She seductively purred, holding out her hand in introduction.

"Oh. Hi." Charlie swallowed thickly, somewhat surprised that she was practically salivating. This was ridiculous, she wasn't some sixteen year old child who couldn't control her hormones in the presence of some unclaimed omega. She met unclaimed omegas all the time and it was never a big deal. She refused to think that her body's responses could mean anything else.

"Hi." Santana sniffed the air slowly. This was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Half of the reason she was friends with Quinn in the first place was because she smelled better than most of the pea-brained alphas she had met. But this? It was almost heavenly, almost as if—oh shit. It was almost as if this alpha was her _mate_. "Quinn's told me a lot about you." She lies. They've been friends for years and the things she knows about Charlie could fit on a post-it.

"That's surprising." Charlie frowned at her twin, "I was pretty sure Quinn pretends like I don't exist."

Santana laughs even as Quinn looks away at the truth of the statement. "Nonsense. You're a fighter, right?" She guessed, actually having no idea. It was a guess, but it was broad enough that she could use it to find out more about her.

Charlie nods carefully. Most omegas would have dismissed her by now or offered some judgmental comment, but Santana's still looking at her like she expects to carry on this conversation. "Yeah, I um," She scratches at her sore ear out of habit, "I fight twice a week at a club on the east-side."

"I bet you win a lot." Santana surmised.

"I do okay." Charlie shrugged and fell silent. She knows she's being awkward, but at least she's not being rude—hopefully that will be enough to keep Quinn off her back for a while. She notices Rachel glaring at her and sighs, she doesn't really want to do this in front of her family—especially not when she knows that there are a couple of topics that will send even the omegas with the best of intentions running for the hills. "I support my daughter, so it's enough."

But instead of excusing herself politely, which Charlie expects, Santana simply smiles. "Harper, right? Beth talks about her cousin all the time."

Charlie tries not to outwardly react but eyes the new woman carefully. "And how do you know Beth?" She hopes it comes out somewhat conversationally, but based on the other woman's smirk it sounds a little too protective.

"She's my best friend, dumb ass." Quinn grumbled. She didn't like this one bit. She had seen Santana on the prowl, but she was mostly harmless most of the time. She was a terrible flirt and she had a string of broken-hearted betas in her wake, but they had known each other since college and she was a terribly loyal friend. But seeing Santana make googly eyes at her twin sister was just a little too much for her to bear.

"Santana works at the hospital." Rachel explained for Charlie, trying to prod this conversation along. It was almost painful to watch, but the more that she thought about it, the more that Santana and Charlie might make sense together. She had an instinct about these sort of things.

"As a nurse?" Charlie guessed.

Santana narrowed her eyes at the alpha. "Why? Because omegas can't be doctors?"

"No." Charlie held up her hands defensively, realizing that she had put her foot in her mouth. "I mean, sure they can. Fuck, I'm sorry. That sounded rude. I was just thinking maybe I could get you to take a look at my stitches, but I'm sure you have better things to do."

"Charlie's never been a fan of doctors," Rachel says trying to help the conversation along.

Santana eyed the stitches and moved closer, well so long as Charlie was never officially on her table, then she was probably okay on a purely ethical basis. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble with the state-licensing board. "Is that _string_?" She asked slightly horrified, it was about the worst stitch job that she had seen.

"Uh. I ran out of superglue and the sewing kit was a dollar at the gas station. I'm just wondering if it'll hold for my fight tomorrow night?"

Santana frowned, blinking back the lust from her brain. The stitches would probably burst open if there was stress applied, it was just string after all. But she had noticed the almost imperceptible limp, the labored breathing and the bruises on her fists. "No it probably won't—"

Charlie frowned at this a bit, "Alright, I'll pick up some super-glue or something on the way home." That was five dollars that she couldn't really afford but she couldn't afford to be blinded by her own blood later. She had been on a losing streak lately and while she was a popular fighter, you could only lose so much before the fans started to abandon ship.

"You really shouldn't be fighting with your injuries."

"Yeah, well I've got to pay the bills somehow." Charlie bristles.

Santana sighs. Leave it to her to find a mate who is a stubborn idiot. She smiles charmingly, hoping to defuse some of Charlie's frustration. "Well if you insist on fighting, and promise not to tell anyone, maybe I can stitch it up for you?" It was a little closer to a breach of doctor-patient ethical standards, but she was pretty sure no one would find out about it.

Charlie glanced at Quinn who simply rolled her eyes, "Okay—how much?"

Santana blinked the smile fading, as she heard Quinn groan loudly. "How much for what?" She was confused.

"For the stitches?" Charlie explained slowly. Nothing in this world was free, she didn't like to take charity from anyone.

Santana glanced at Quinn for a moment, she looked close to banging her head against a wall and she turns back to Charlie and the flirtatious grin is back. "Just a date," Santana said, she heard Quinn groan again. She was probably going to have to listen to Quinn bitch at her for days.

"Oh," Charlie said and rubbed the back of her neck. "I uh—don't do that anymore." Charlie mumbles.

Quinn's eyes widen a bit at the implication of Charlie's words. "What do you mean anymore?" When had things gotten so bad that Charlie had resorted to selling her body to get money or goods. Was that how Harper was conceived? Did she still do it now? Was that how she paid for Beth's birthday present? "Charlie—"

Santana laughs easily, "Well aren't you forward. I was thinking dinner maybe drinks. Maybe if the date was going well I'd let you cop a feel."

Charlie frowned and rubbed the back of her neck. "I don't do that—I have to take care of Harper. So um thanks but I guess no thanks." Charlie said. "Anyway I should probably go check on Harper again. It was uh—nice meeting you Santana."

"We'll watch Harper, how does tomorrow night sound? Charlie, you said you have your fight, maybe Santana could come and watch you and you could do dinner afterward?" Rachel cut in.

Charlie frowned. She _did_ need someone to watch Harper and had been planning on asking Quinn after the party since her parents were apparently doing some important thing. Rachel arched her brow expectantly and Charlie had a vague feeling like she was being bribed. "I'm not usually much fun after a fight." She admits.

Santana shrugs. She'll be coming off a fourteen-hour shift herself so she might not be that pleasant either, but she's not about to let this chance slip away. "I don't mind. Friday is great. What time is your fight?"

"Six?" Charlie wasn't quite sure what exactly was happening here, but based on Rachel and Santana's triumphant smile she was pretty sure she had lost. "I usually walk—"

"I'll pick you up." Santana offered. This was getting better and better.

Charlie nodded, finally running out of excuses. "I'll—write down the details for you," Charlie mumbles.

"Just text it to me, here let me see your phone," Santana said holding her hand out and watches as Charlie hesitates before pulling out an old flip phone. Santana blinks and takes it, she had one of these back when she was a kid. She was sure she still knew how it worked probably. She moves to the contacts and inserts her name, though it takes forever, but she finally hands it back to Charlie. "There you go. Just text me the details and I'll meet you."

"Great." Charlie said flatly.

Santana shook her head. Maybe she could borrow Charlie's phone again and break it on accident. That would give her an excuse to put such an old brick out of its misery. "Come sit down and I'll get my bag out of my car. Then I can take care of your stitches."

"Here?" Charlie looked around. "You want to do it here?"

"Do you want to come to the hospital?" Santana countered, smirking when Charlie paled. She's not sure she's ever felt the desire that so many mated omegas describe, but now maybe she gets it. She just wants to help Charlie. Not like in a weird stalkery way—she really hopes she didn't come off as weird stalkery, but she's hot so maybe nobody noticed—she wants to take care of her. Charlie moves over to the seat that Santana had pointed out and she trots back to her car to retrieve her spare supplies.

She shakes her head and shuts the door to her car, it's ridiculous and she's not some lonely spinster that watches too many romantic dramedies. She barely _knows_ Charlie, this probably doesn't mean anything. But Charlie just seems so lost that Santana can't help but want to fix her. She tries to ignore the little voice in the back of her head that seems to be crying out for Charlie to recognize her as her mate. According to Quinn, alpha's just sort of _knew_. So what was Charlie's excuse? Probably and most likely one to many blows to the head.

"Santana you can't simply stitch Charlie up in front of the kids! What are you thinking?" Quinn hisses at her. "You'll scar them for life."

"No I won't, in fact they'll love it. Hey kids who wants to see me give someone stitches!" Santana calls out to the children who suddenly turn to her. "It'll be _fun_. Well for me, not really for you." Santana says to Charlie patting her on the shoulder.

"You're going to stitch up my mom?" A voice cuts through the crowd and Santana turns to look at the three foot tall girl with two missing teeth.

"I am, I was going to do a half buried vertical mattress suture, so it doesn't leave a scar. That way your mom can still look pretty later," Santana explains to Harper who moves even closer.

"My mom has lots of scars." Harper murmurs to herself.

Santana smirks. "Well that's because she didn't have me to stitch her up." She's aware that some people might call her cocky, but she's just honest. She looks over at Charlie. "I have a local anaesthetic we could use, but—"

"Just do it." Charlie closes her eyes. She doesn't like needles, but it's not like it can hurt any worse than it did when it happened. She hisses at the pricking and pulling sensation against her sore flesh, trying to ignore the almost overpowering scent coming from Santana. It would almost be easier if it were disgusting, she's used to the smells at the gym of body odor and sweat. This is deliciously sweet with an almost mysterious kick to it that Charlie craves more of. But there's no _way_ that Santana is—she's just sore and nearly delirious from lack of sleep. And even if she was—well Santana was a doctor and she was just a fighter, barely making any money at all.

She wasn't ashamed of who she was, she knew what she was and she had come to terms with it. There was nothing that Santana could see in her. She winces a bit and keeps her eyes closed. Then there was Harper. It was just the two of them and it was how she liked it, she simply couldn't risk it. Harper was her daughter and she'd take care of her. She didn't have time to date, and she wasn't going to invite someone into her life that could break Harper's heart, or worse.


	2. Chapter 2

She inhaled deeply feeling her arm being grabbed and raised. She won? She glances down at the body that's splayed out on the ground the fighter unconscious on the canvas. She could barely even remember doing that. She had been a step too slow and he had managed to catch her. She could _vividly_ remember the gloved hand entering her field of vision and being far to slow to do anything about it. After that it was certainly a blank, maybe she had fought on pure instinct and a will to win. That was absolute bullshit, maybe she had swung at the same time and connected simply hitting him harder, but that wouldn't explain the three minute gap in her memory. Or the fact that she was drenched in blood, probably her own, and she hadn't been three minutes ago. The stitches that Santana had done had torn and blood was leaking from the cut on her forehead. Forehead wounds generally appeared worse than they actually were. She would be fine.

"Get cleaned up and they'll have your money up front." The referee shouted over the crowd.

Her vision swam as she exited the ring. Most fighters had a team to clean them up and help them stagger to the locker room, but she just couldn't justify taking a cut in what she earned from each fight. They were barely scraping by as it was, and she'd be damned if Harper went without anything just so she could be a little more comfortable.

Suddenly a slim but sturdy body was under her arm, holding her up and helping her toward the locker room. She knew the scent well enough by now, even if she had only experienced it for a few minutes at most, to know it was Santana beside her. Not that she could really confirm it, since the blood pouring out of her forehead wound was clouding her vision. "Hey slugger." Santana's voice wavered and it struck an odd chord in Charlie that she hadn't really felt for anyone but her daughter. "How about we get you cleaned up and I'll fix my beautiful handiwork?"

"Sure." Charlie grunted. She didn't really have an option. All she really wanted was to curl up in the locker room showers and fall asleep. It was something she simply _couldn't_ do, she still needed to pick up Harper and then read to her. "I won," she says after a moment, there's still a hint of disbelief.

Santana winced, sure if she wanted to call it that. Truthfully she could have sworn that Charlie was out like a light just partway through the second round, the way her head had snapped back. If she hadn't stumbled back against the cage and teetered the follow up of a flying knee to the face would have probably ended her. She had been swinging wildly and that glazed look in Charlie's eye had scared the living daylights out of her giving her a panic attack in the process. She would have thrown in a towel or whatever she was supposed to do to stop the fight if she had one. "You did good slugger," Santana said instead. She didn't know Charlie well enough to start commenting on her life choices, and if she was being honest if Charlie didn't smell so damn good, if she wasn't _positive_ that Charlie was her mate, she would slip out the backdoor and never see her again. But she's been waiting to find her mate her entire life and she's not about to give up just because it's hard. Charlie might not even realize it yet, so she'll just have to be patient.

"Good," Charlie said her mind fuzzy as she was deposited onto the bench by Santana. She moves to get up only to find a hand on shoulder pushing her back down.

"Charlie, you're going to need to sit down so I can stitch you back up," Santana said grabbing her medical bag that she had put in the locker.

"Hurry, I've got to get home and see Harper," Charlie slurred trying to sit back up.

She didn't even have to do a neurological test to know that Charlie was suffering from a concussion. "Harper is with Quinn remember?" Santana said gently and watches as Charlie nods after a moment and sits back down. "I'll give Quinn a call and she can drop Harper off at your place okay? You're in no state to be driving, let alone walking home by yourself." Santana winces, she can't drag the alpha to the hospital, she doubts that Charlie could afford a CT scan and it's not like she could sneak Charlie in to get one done. She was sort of a bitch and no one in that department owed her any favors right now. She might have to start working on that. "Charlie do you have health insurance?"

Charlie shakes her head no, "Harper does," she mumbles.

Santana sighs and grabs a towel and begins to mop up the blood on Charlie's face, so she can see the wound. She frowns her handiwork had been busted open and she would need to do it again. She didn't think she'd ever enjoy doing this. "I'm going to clean the wound with some antiseptic, it's going to sting and then I'm going to stitch it back up, okay?"

"Okay," Charlie says and closes her eyes when Santana approaches her tilting her head back a bit. The action makes her lightheaded and she steadies herself. Santana begins to slowly clean up her blood and she relaxes under her gentle touch. "You smell nice," she mumbles.

Santana freezes for half a second, so it _wasn't_ just her who could smell it. Charlie _knew_ what they were. She was also highly concussed at this point so anything that she said was suspect. "Well I do bathe regularly, don't want to smell like bodies and all that," she jokes cleaning the wound. Charlie doesn't even flinch and she opens the new pack of sutures and begins to stitch Charlie up.

"No, you smell—you smell like my mate." Charlie explains in a mumbled slur.

Santana's fairly impressed that she managed to decipher it as she finishes cleaning up the blood as best she can. Her bag isn't exactly the equivalent of a hospital emergency room, but even if the conditions are a little suspect she'll do the best job she can. She knotted the stitches quickly, feeling an odd surge of pride that she had practiced her half buried vertical mattress suture until she felt like her fingers were bleeding back in med school, now it is paying off in spades. Once that wound is closed, she checks Charlie over for anything else that needs immediate attention.

Charlie knows she should probably be annoyed at being fussed over like this, but she's glad that at least Harper won't see her coming home drenched in her own blood again. Santana's ministering fingers along her face and scalp are relaxing, and for now Charlie just allows herself to be calmed by the touch.

"Hey." Santana pokes at the freshly stitched injury and Charlie winces, blinking up at her. "No falling asleep just yet."

"We're supposed to have dinner?" Charlie asks. Her head is pounding and all she wants to do is sleep.

"How about I take you home and I'll order a pizza while we wait for Harper?" Santana suggests instead. It's manipulative as hell, but she is a bitch and she's not about to leave Charlie alone. She needs someone who can make sure she's not going to drown in her own vomit, and Santana's pretty sure no seven year old should have to worry about that. She'll stick around on the couch, even though Charlie probably won't notice, and they'll figure it out from there. If she asks later, she'll just claim that Charlie asked her to stay—it's not like she's really going to remember much of this anyway.

Charlie grimaces. "I hate pizza."

Santana frowns at that. When they first met, Charlie had been scarfing down any free slice in sight so she had just assumed—"I'll figure something out." She assures. "Come on let's get you home."

"I need to get paid," Charlie mumbles, letting Santana help her up. She moves to grab her back,.

"Right of course," Santana nods. After a fight like that Charlie would have to be taking home a decent amount of money so she could rest. She vaguely remembers Charlie saying that she fights twice a week, but maybe she had clearly misspoke and meant twice a month. She could barely stand on her own. There was no way she should even be cleared to fight by Wednesday. "Where are we headed?"

"Front office," Charlie mumbles dragging her bag along the ground. Her arms felt heavy and she couldn't lift the damn thing but she walks with a bit of help towards Santana towards the main office so she can get she could buy the pizza and call it even for all the help Santana had been.

"Charlie there you are! Good fight today, I thought you were out for the count early in the second round. This is why the fans love you. You put your heart and soul into each fight. You got fight of the night bonus in there, don't spend it all in one place alright?"

Santana eyed the man who threw the cash into Charlie's hands. Charlie glanced at the envelope, blinking at it before handing it over to Santana. "Count it."

"Aw, come on Chuck, don't you trust me?"

"I don't trust you any farther than I can throw you, Artie." Charlie grumbled. She hated it when people called her Chuck, but she feels oddly disconnected and too tired to correct him.

"Well considering how you fought tonight, that must be a whole lot." He grinned. When he noticed the omega under Charlie's arm finish counting, he grinned. "Well?" He asked expectantly.

"Fifteen hundred." Santana said carefully, turning to Charlie. This couldn't be _all_ of the money. There was no way that Charlie had put her neck on the line for a measly fifteen hundred dollars.

"Good," Charlie mumbled nodding her head. A five hundred dollar bonus. That was good maybe if she won her next fight she could start saving for a really decent car. "I'll see you on Wednesday."

"I think you'll be fighting the Crusher next, so you know rest up. It's going to be a bloodbath. Good doing business with you," he said shaking his head and wheeling off.

"Fifteen hundred dollars?" Santana asked swallowing, that couldn't be right.

Charlie smiled pleased with her haul for the night. "Impressive right? Harper's going to be pleased, we won't have to buy the meat that's on sale for once."

"That's _great_." Santana grimaced. Charlie seemed to be lacking a filter and she wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, though meat that was on sale was probably just meat that was about to expire anyway. She wants to knock some sense into Charlie, beg her not to be an idiot and put her life on the line, but it's not fair to have that sort of conversation with someone who can barely string a few coherent sentences together. She leads Charlie to her car, vainly hoping she doesn't vomit all over the leather interior. Whatever, if she does Santana will just get it detailed.

She drives quickly to Charlie's apartment, only having to stop once to let Charlie out to puke. Thankfully, none of that is staining her precious car's interior, so she's pretty happy as she leads Charlie up the stairs to her apartment. Charlie fumbles with the keys but manages to get the door open and tosses her duffel bag onto the ground. Santana peers inside, she doesn't quite know what to expect. They don't live in some poor neighborhood, but it's certainly not affluent either so she's a bit relieved to see that Charlie doesn't live in squalor. In fact with the exception of the duffel bag the entire apartment is relatively neat.

"Y'know, Harper wants to be just like you," Charlie mumbles causing Santana to turn to her as she makes her way to the living room flopping down on a couch where there is one of those old thick televisions on a simple stand. "A doctor, she's smart y'know. I tell her she can do it. I'm saving every dollar I can so I can put her through school. Show people I'm not a deadbeat."

Santana nods and moves to the kitchen, it's an open floor plan and she opens one of the cupboards noting the off-brand food. Someone had been shopping at one of the discount supermarket. There was nothing wrong with it but there was an unhealthy amount of mac and cheese. She frowns but turns back to Charlie who is apparently waiting for some response. "She seems like a smart kid." Santana agrees. "Maybe I could spend time with her?" She suggests. She understood Charlie's hesitant to start dating or doing anything of the sort, she seemed overprotective, but it came from a good place.

"No."

The force and the tone behind the words nearly cause her to drop a glass but she catches it. She hadn't been expecting that answer but she understood in a way they had just met. Sure, she had stitched Charlie up and yes Charlie acknowledged that she was her mate, but having a child complicated things. Harper didn't know her and it's not like they could just mate tomorrow and then they could move into her spacious apartment next week. For one thing she only had one bedroom. She had converted the spare into an office. "Oh. Yeah—"

"—you think you know people, but you don't." Charlie continued.

"I don't?" Santana asked, confused.

"It doesn't matter if you trust them. Fucking betas."

Santana pauses and tilts her head, she wasn't quite sure if Charlie was talking to her or not. "I'm an omega," she reminds Charlie slowly. What was going on here?

"Doesn't matter, I don't trust anyone. Can't trust anyone. Not with Harper, I'll protect her. I don't want her to end up—" Charlie yawns and curls up on the couch, falling asleep the moment that her head hits the worn throw pillow.

Santana frowns at this and resists the urge to wake Charlie up just so she can ask her to finish her thought. It was unlikely that Charlie would even remember. Besides, she probably _needed_ some sleep. She needed to rest if she was going to heal. Dinner would have to wait until they simply knew each other better.

With Charlie asleep, she snooped shamelessly. There were off-brand cleaners under the sink and a medicine full of various herbal remedies and knock-off versions of Tylenol and Ibuprofen. It didn't tell her much, except for she was starting to suspect that it had been years since Charlie had been seen by a doctor. She closes the cabinet carefully startling when she hears the front door open.

"Mom?" The door shut carefully behind her. "Mom, are you okay? How was the fight?" She makes her way out of the kitchen just as Harper goes to poke Charlie, asking the questions in rapid fire.

"Your mom was amazing." Santana assured. Harper didn't need to worry about Charlie any more than she already did.

"She's not bleeding." Harper marveled, gingerly touching her mother's eyebrow where the stitch was now longer than it had been before. "You fixed her?" She turns to Santana with a relieved but still somewhat skeptical smile.

"I did." Santana assured. "And I did an even _better_ job so your Mom is going to be as good as new sooner than usual."

"She's got another fight Wednesday." Harper confides, biting her lip somewhat nervously. "Is she going to be okay?"

There it is again, that looming threat. Charlie's going to get herself killed and no one in her life is going to stop her. But not anymore. Santana doesn't care what she has to do, Charlie's not getting in the ring on Wednesday. She has a damn concussion right now, another blow to her head could do permanent damage. But she's not going to have this conversation with a seven year old and Charlie's twin sister in the room. "We'll make sure she's ready for Wednesday." Santana assures, hoping that offers whatever comfort it can.

"Santana. You're here." Quinn steps back against the front door in surprise. She had expected Santana to be long gone by now. "I can stick around so you can get out of here."

Santana waves away the offer. She's a doctor and she's not about to leave Charlie alone, especially since Quinn will probably decide that Charlie's just fine and head home to her own mate. "I'm fine. Charlie asked me to stay." It's a lie, but it's not like anyone in the room is capable of calling her on it.

Quinn nods and moves to look at her twin, just to indeed make sure she was still breathing. She shifts a bit, this was why she hated coming over after fights, Charlie always looked terrible, even if there wasn't blood on her face, she had some dried blood all over her shirt. "Thank you," she says after a moment to Santana who shrugs. Her twin was going to get herself killed over a few thousand dollars. "It's not _easy_ for her to find work because of her status." It was hard for everyone in the family to watch but she insisted that she was fine. She wasn't. Quinn turned to her niece, "Come on kid, I'll read you a story. Won't be as good as your mom's, but let's not wake her alright?"

Harper bites her lip, she doesn't want to go to bed, but she nods and turns to Santana, eying her carefully. "Take good care of my mom please."

Santana smiles warmly at Harper, "I will, you go sleep. She'll be fine, I promise I won't let anything happen to her."

Harper eyes Santana one more time, she didn't really know this woman and her mom had said not to talk to strangers. But—she was a doctor so it was okay right? She bites her lip again and pulls away from her Aunt Quinn to give her mom a kiss on the forehead. She's about to go with her aunt Quinn to her bedroom when she stops and tugs on Santana's arm and motions for her to move down to her level. Pleased when Santana bends over, "Can you, help her with her nightmares to?" Harper whispers glancing over at her aunt Quinn who frowned slightly.

Nightmares? Santana frowns at the words, there was something that she's missing and she doesn't quite like it. She doesn't know Charlie well enough to confront her, but the fact that her daughter knew or suspected meant that this was a problem that needed to be rectified. "I'll do my best." Santana promises her and glances at Quinn, she wants to get more information about the mysterious Charlie Fabray, but not here. She could press her later. She wouldn't betray Charlie's confidence but she certainly needed to know more information. Her _mate_ was damaged, physically and it appeared mentally as well. Maybe this was what happened when alpha's didn't find their omegas. She should be _furious_ at Quinn for keeping them apart for so long, but she just didn't have it in her. At least she had her _now_ , everything else they would have to figure out.

* * *

It was the smell of eggs and bacon that finally stirred Charlie from her catatonic sleep, she groaned feeling the pinch in her back as she lifted her head, wincing as the bright light from the window caught her in the face. She hadn't had a hangover since before Harper had been born, and this felt worse. So much worse. She had obviously fallen asleep on the couch again. She pushes herself off the couch wincing as she jams her hand a bit.

"So you just add a bit of pepper, some bacon bits like I showed you, a bit of cheese and I promise you that this will be the best omelette you've ever tasted."

Charlie went rigid for a moment, ignoring the voice in her head that told her that Santana wasn't a threat to her daughter, and marched to the kitchen. Well she would have if her entire body didn't feel like it was lead. The kick that she had taken in the first round to the ribs still ached and she knew if she pulled up her blood stained t-shirt that there would be a massive bruise. She almost didn't want to look. So really she just limped to the kitchen and narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here?" She growled.

"Mom! Santana is helping me make breakfast!" Harper grinned. She liked Santana, she didn't talk down to her or treat her like a little kid. Instead she taught her cool stuff, like that the egg yolk was the part that feeds the embryo of the baby chicken _and_ that an embryo is what you call a baby chick before it really starts to look like a chicken.

"Hey, I probably need these egg shells taken to the outside garbage." Santana turned to Harper. "Do you think you could take it out for me? Your mom and I need to talk for just a second."

Harper frowned. Normally adults made weird pretenses, so she was glad Santana was honest with her. "Sure." She allowed. She was pretty sure she could get her mom to tell her whatever they talked about anyway.

Charlie waited for the door to shut before rounding on Santana. "What the hell do you think you're doing with my kid?"

"I was _trying_ to make sure she had a decent breakfast and you were dead to the world. Excuse me for trying to help." Santana retorted, folding her arms over her chest. Charlie had scared the shit out of her last night and she wasn't about to be the blonde's new verbal punching bag.

Charlie stepped forward. "I don't need you or anyone else helping me with my kid. We get along _just fine_."

"Just fine?" Santana scoffed. "You can barely stand. You have a concussion, do you know how difficult it was to wake you to make sure that you weren't going to stop breathing?"

"I didn't ask for your help, and this—I'm _fine._ " Charlie insisted.

"Right. You're going to kill yourself over a lousy fifteen hundred dollars, and why? Because you're too damn proud to let your family help you? Yeah. That's the epitome of fine."

"Look, I appreciate everything you've done. The stitches, and sure breakfast with my kid—whatever. But I'm too busy to be someone's mate, so you're off the hook. I'm not your problem." Charlie explained. She was giving Santana an out. Her life was complicated enough as it was, she _definitely_ didn't need to add another person to the mix.

"So you admit you're my mate then?" Santana watched the blonde closely.

"I _admit_ , that you could possibly be my mate. I'm telling you to go find someone else to mate with. I don't have time, and I don't have the inclination to be your mate. Thank you for your help, but I've got it from here."

Santana shook her head. "You're an idiot."

"Excuse me?"

"You think I'm stuck around making sure you didn't suffocate on your own vomit because I'm some desperate _omega_?" She shook her head. "Get your head out of your ass. We're _mates_ and because of biology or fate or whatever other crap is out there, you are stuck with me." She handed Charlie the spatula that she had been using to guard the omelettes from burning. "So here's what's going to happen: I'm going to let you have breakfast alone with your daughter, who has been terrified all night long that you were _dead,_ and you are going to meet me for coffee Monday morning."

"I thought I was the alpha." Charlie grumbled.

"Well you're an idiot, so someone has to take over." Santana chuckled to herself. "And you're my _mate_ , so deal with it."

"Fuck you." Charlie couldn't believe this. Who did Santana think she was, coming into _her_ apartment and talking to her like some child? She _didn't_ need an omega to help her figure out her life.

"Maybe later." Santana winked. "I'll be looking forward to it." She's met with a low growl from Charlie, which only causes her to smile more. "Look if you don't show up, I'll just have to find you and trust me you don't want me to do that. So coffee. You _owe_ me dinner anyway for fixing you up so consider this the appetizer."

Charlie frowned and stared at the omega in front of her. " _Fine_. But you need to go."

"Why does Santana have to leave?" Harper asks as she comes back into the apartment.

"I have to get to work," Santana says, the lie is easy. "Saving lives, or something along those lines." She smiles at Harper. "Maybe one day your mom will take you to come watch me perform a surgery. I get to yell at all the first year residents. It's a blast."

Harper turns to look at her mother, "Can we?"

Charlie shoots Santana a surly look, she wasn't pleased with the omega's attempts to integrate into their lives. "I'll think about it." Charlie mutters.

Santana smiles and winks at Charlie while Harper is still looking at her. "Alright, I'm off," she says moving to grab her purse off the counter. "Monday morning, remember."

"What's happening on Monday?" Harper asked looking back and forth between them.

"I'm going to give your mother a full check up." Santana admits looking at Charlie who immediately looks away. "Make sure she's in tip-top shape."

Harper nods, "Will you be giving her a needle? She gets all weird when I have to get my shots at the doctor."

"Okay Harper, time to eat." Charlie interrupted. "I'm sure that Santana has places to be—that aren't here." Charlie said crossing her arms over her chest as Santana shoots her a knowing look. She wasn't afraid of needles. She just didn't like seeing her daughter in pain. It was perfectly normal.

"Bye Harper. I'll see you later slugger. Don't worry I'll give you a sucker if you're good. Text me." Santana said as she walked out of the apartment, stopping only to give Harper a high-five and shoot another wink at Charlie.

Charlie clenched her fists annoyed at herself. She had just let an omega walk all over her. That hadn't happened in _years_. Like hell she was going to show up for coffee. She'd send Quinn instead. She didn't _need_ a checkup and she didn't need a damned omega. She and Harper were doing just fine. She waits until she hears the door close and turns to her daughter. "Sorry about last night—but did you have fun at Beth's house yesterday? I promise to read you _two_ stories to make up for it."

Harper smiled and moved to carefully wrap her arms around her mother, squeezing only when her mom didn't flinch at the pain. She had been worried but now that she knew that her mom had her own doctor things were going to be better. "We played with some of the toys that she got for her birthday. It was fun! And don't worry Aunt Rachel helped me do my homework—" Harper said prattling on as she watched her mom limp towards the cupboards and grab some plates.

Charlie sighs and hides a wince when she picks up the dishes, offering her daughter a pained smile as she tries to listen. This was all she needed in life. She had won her fight, and now could share breakfast with her daughter. Even though it smelled amazing, better than anything she had eaten in a long time, that didn't mean she needed some omega to swoop into her life and make it better. No, she and Harper were happy. This was enough.


	3. Chapter 3

Quinn sat across from Santana, eyeing her friend closely as she picked at her lunch. "So? Aren't you going to tell me how it went?"

Santana smirked. "How what went?" Santana played dumb, well aware that it would drive Quinn mad.

"Your _date_." She spat out the last word like it was some sort of curse word.

"There? Was that so hard to say?" Santana teased.

Quinn narrowed her eyes. "Shut up and tell me how it went." She ordered.

"Don't get your panties in a twist." Santana plucked a fry off Quinn's plate and ate it before Quinn could complain. "We just went to the fight and I stitched her up and brought her home."

"And then you _stayed_."

"I did." Santana wiggled her eyebrows. "I think we're off to a great start."

"Santana," Quinn sighed, "You're my best friend and I deal with hearing about your escapades on a regular basis." It was true. Nearly every Sunday lunch they had together started off with Santana weaving some tale about her latest sexual conquest.

"My escapades?" Santana grinned, stealing another fry. "You make it sound like I'm a menace, defiling the virtue of alphas, betas, and omegas everywhere."

"You are definitely a menace." Quinn grumbled with a frown.

"Careful," Santana wagged her finger at Quinn, "you'd hate for me to tell Rachel that you sneak a burger and fries once a week."

"Rachel's not an idiot. I'm sure she knows." Quinn dismissed. Sure, she had never told Rachel _explicitly_ that she indulged in the weekly bacon cheeseburger, but given the fact that her wife made her brush her teeth four times and rinse her mouth with mouthwash before kissing her on Sundays, she was pretty sure the cat was out of the bag.

Santana frowned. It was no fun to tease Quinn if she didn't feel any shame about it. She poked at her own salad. "Why are we friends again?" She asked aloud. Quinn could be a little bit of a bore.

"Because you walked into my business class and told me I smelled better than most stinky alphas and wouldn't leave me alone until I agreed to be your friend." Quinn reminded.

Santana grinned. "Oh yeah, good times."

"But back to the _point_ , Charlie isn't like most other alphas. She's not like the betas you toss aside like spoiled milk. She's trying to make it work and she doesn't need you coming in and playing with her feelings just because you can."

"First, Q-tip, I resent the implication that I'm only going after your twin for a quick fuck. She's nice, and I like her. And secondly, I don't toss aside betas like spoiled milk." Santana doesn't like the implication. Sure, she's not the typical omega who would love to be barefoot and pregnant if that made their alpha happy, but she's not _cruel_.

"What about Brittany?" Quinn points out. It's a low blow and she knows it, but it's exactly her point. Santana is reckless when it comes to other people's feelings, and no matter how many times she assures her one-night stands or repeat booty-calls that it's just sex, she's broken a lot of hearts along the way.

Santana furrows her brow. "What about Brittany?" She didn't _toss_ Brittany aside. She had made sure Brittany remembered that they weren't going to be anything more than fuck buddies. Yeah it was cruel, but it had been necessary. "Brittany's happily married with like two kids or something."

"But you know—Santana, I'm not trying to piss you off here, I'm just saying that Charlie doesn't need to play some game. She's a mom and a pretty good one. So be careful. That's all I ask." If she could, she'd ask Santana to leave her twin the hell alone, but after listening to Rachel's hour long rant about how she couldn't dictate Charlie's life, she would hold her tongue. She wasn't Charlie's alpha, she wasn't _Santana's_ alpha, but she could protect her twin and her best friend by asking Santana to be careful.

"I _am._ " Santana stresses. She knows how this is going to sound, but she has to tell Quinn anyway. "Charlie's my mate."

"Of course she is." Quinn rolled her eyes skeptically. How many times had she heard Santana claim that a conquest 'might' be her mate? There was no might about it. It just was. Mate bonds weren't something that you could deny, change, or force. They just happened.

Santana frowned, well aware of what Quinn was thinking. "No, I'm serious. She's my mate."

"She is?" Quinn furrowed her brow in surprise. There was no way she could be serious.

"You think I'd make that up for a couple of thrusts from your twin?" Santana retorted quickly. Quinn was a little egotistical but she was a very good friend. Which was why she couldn't believe that Charlie could be in such a dire straight when she had another way out. "Your twin who is intent on getting herself _killed_ for her stupid fights. Seriously. How did you let that happen? I thought you gave a fuck about your family and your sister is out there committing suicide on a regular basis."

"You think I don't know that?" Quinn counters immediately. She is there for Charlie as much as Charlie will let her. She's tried everything she can think of to help her twin, but Charlie insists on surviving on her own. She's lucky Charlie has Harper because otherwise she's almost certain that Charlie would deny any of her help at all. "I'm the one who stops by after every fight with some lame excuse just to make sure she's not _dead_. You think I like watching her self-destruct? Think again. I want her to be happy."

"I do too." Santana agreed. "I know how this looks and I get your point. But I'm not lying or being idealistic. Charlie is my mate."

Quinn groans. It makes sense in the way that life seems intent on trying to fuck her over.

"But think of it." Santana winks, "Now we'll be _family_."

"I'm pretty sure that's the last thing I need." Quinn shook her head in mock annoyance. She picks at her burger and studies Santana for a moment. She could think of worse things, and if Charlie acknowledged that they were mates then her parents would finally leave her alone. She was sure that part of the reason why Charlie avoided her like the plague was _because_ of the fact that she tried to insist on her talking to omegas. She paraded single omegas in front of her and tried to get Charlie to go on blind dates. Then again, she may have accidentally stuck Charlie with Santana so there was a good chance that Charlie would never forgive her. She sighs inwardly, the things she had to do for family.

Santana smirks at Quinn's annoyance and takes a sip of her water. "So—" Santana trails off for a moment, getting Quinn's attention. "What can you tell me about your twin?"

"I am not helping you sleep with my sister," Quinn replied flatly.

"Quinn, look at me. I don't need your help in getting Charlie naked," Santana sniffs indignantly. It's insulting how little faith Quinn has in her seduction skills. "We're meeting for coffee tomorrow morning after Charlie drops Harper off at the bus stop and I want to know how to get her to open up."

"Your guess is as good as mine. The only person who can get my sister to open up is Harper—that's not quite true. Harper basically makes Charlie slightly more approachable, _sometimes_. I doubt that my sister is opening up to her seven year old daughter." Quinn shrugs. Charlie talked about Harper, about going to the gym and maybe occasionally about finding a bit of work doing construction. All talk about her health, about her job, about money was off the table.

Santana frowned a bit, that wasn't what she wanted to hear but she didn't really need Quinn, she'd figure it out on her own. There was something going on in Charlie's head and she was going to be the person to figure it out. "She had a concussion." Santana reveals. "Judging from the way she fights she's probably had a few back to back."

"It wouldn't surprise me." Quinn admitted. Charlie had been fighting for years, and other than a few close calls she was pretty sure she had never seen a doctor.

Santana frowned but picked at her salad. She had a sinking feeling that this wasn't going to be as easy at everybody made it seem. It would be worth it though, at least she hoped so.

* * *

Charlie fiddled with her over-priced coffee, she had tried to switch with Quinn, but her twin had bluntly informed her that she could only take small doses of her so-called best friend. Whatever that meant, and she did honor her debts. That didn't make this any easier. At least she could _afford_ the coffee for once. She glanced at Santana for a moment and then back down at her coffee, it tasted horrible. She couldn't believe that she had paid nearly three dollars for this when gas station coffee tasted better. She shifts uncomfortably, she can feel Santana's eyes on her and she's not a big fan of the feeling. "So," she begins trying to break the ice. She doesn't really talk to adults on a day to day basis, her conversational skills these days are saved for her daughter. But parents talked about their kids all the time, it seemed like a safe topic. "Harper got an A in her science class."

Santana raised a brow, what was with parents and talking about their kids. "Well, of course she did. She seems like a smart kid."

Charlie beams. "She is. They had this field trip where they went to a farm or something and she came back full of facts about the world. She's—" Charlie trails off. Santana doesn't want to hear about this, she's sure. "Sorry, I just—what are we doing here?"

"We're having coffee." Santana sipped her own drink. This place had terrible coffee, but it was cheap and close to Charlie's house.

"No—I mean—"

"I know what you mean," Santana says after a moment making a small face and putting it down on the table. She sighs and looks at Charlie, "You know, there's a small part of me that is furious with your twin. When we met, all I knew was that she smelled better than any other alpha that I had ever met, but she already had a mate and her scent was off. It wasn't perfect—not like yours. I _knew_ you existed, but I knew that you had a kid and I assumed that you had a mate. So I'm angry because I've known Quinn since we were freshmen and she _knew_ that you weren't mated. Who knows if we had met earlier—" Santana shrugs. "Maybe this would be easier."

Charlie shrugs, "It's what it is. It's not like Quinn knew where I was, no one in my family did. So don't be mad at her, she didn't know where I was till I came back home. I'm sure she looked for me, I know she called everyday left messages. It still doesn't change the fact that I have Harper, and I don't have time to date and I don't want to bring home a mate. It's just supposed to be the two of us—"

"It's _supposed_ to be you and me." Santana corrects.

Charlie bristles and puts down her mug. "That's my kid." She hisses furiously.

"I didn't mean—"

"Just because I'm an alpha doesn't mean that I don't give a damn about my kid. I'm all Harper has left and I'm never going to abandon her for some new fairytale family. It doesn't matter how good you smell or—"

"Woah, hold on a second." Santana stopped the rant as quickly as she could. "And correct me if I'm wrong but I never said _anything_ about you abandoning your daughter. What type of shitty parent would do that? And what type of shitty person do you think I am that I would want that from you?" She wonders aloud. Seeing Charlie's frown she continues. "I mean, I like you and you like me. I'm not saying we have to have a mating ceremony tomorrow, but you having a kid doesn't change anything."

Charlie glared. What was Santana's angle?

"I'm too sexy to be pregnant anyway." Santana adds for good measure. She's always been somewhat of a misplaced omega. She's not really a fan of babies and diapers and gross vomit. It's why she became a doctor, to keep her hands clean. At least Harper's old enough to take herself to the bathroom and articulate her needs.

"You want to adopt my daughter?" Charlie asks in disbelief. " _Why_ —what's your angle?" Charlie asks narrowing her eyes at Santana suspiciously.

"My angle? Other than being a decent human being who just found her mate?" Santana sighed. She could see Charlie's point. Unmated alphas carried a stigma and most people wouldn't bat an eye if she _had_ insisted Charlie needed to abandon her kid. But Santana wasn't some bright-eyed eighteen year old omega who just wanted an alpha to put a baby in her. She was looking for her mate and she had given up a lot in her life, waiting for the right alpha. Just because Charlie already had a kid didn't change things in her mind. "I mean, I'm not trying to trick you. It's just—this is what people do. They find their mate and they make it work. That's it, that's my angle. I just want this to work."

Charlie frowned and looked down at her cup of coffee. It sounded too good to be true, and it wouldn't be the first time an omega promised her the world only to abandon her. She couldn't trust it, wouldn't trust it. Not when Harper had the potential to get hurt.

"Look, Harper's a smart kid, you said it yourself. We can make this work, we'll find an apartment together, and that's perfect for the three of us. We'll put her in a good school where she can excel, everything will be good Charlie. It'll be perfect, we'll be the perfect family. That's what I want, _especially_ since it'll get my parents off my ass. Something about my biological clock or some other bullshit like that."

"There's _always_ a catch," Charlie frowns and looks up. Santana was making it seem so easy. It wasn't.

Santana stared at Charlie for a moment and then smiled at her, "You mean apart from what I can only imagine is amazing sex?" Charlie frowned deeper and Santana sighed. "Honestly it's no big deal Charlie, and I'm sure you'll be happy and Harper will be pleased—"

"Don't try to use Harper against me," Charlie cuts Santana off, she can feel her frustration mounting at this. "What's the catch?"

Santana sighed, "Well I don't think there is one. But, I do have one condition. It's no big deal, you just need to stop fighting."

Charlie frowned at this and took a breath to contain her anger. "And do what?" Santana shrugs and Charlie swallows her anger down. "Well, thanks for the offer but like I said: Me and Harper have a system. It works for us, she's well fed, she goes to a good school, and she has everything she needs. I didn't need a mate then and I certainly don't need one now."

" _You_ might not need a mate," Santana countered, "but I can't exactly ignore the fact that we've met. I'm a surgeon and I can't be a badass at my job and go psycho crazy just because you'd rather live in a cardboard box on the side of the road asking for quarters than accept anyone's help."

Charlie's frown grew deeper. "I thought that was a myth."

"Nope. It's a real thing." And it could be pretty problematic. In her fourth year of medical school during rotations she had seen an omega who had been the victim of a terrible car accident that had killed his alpha. Since they hadn't mated, the kid's raging hormones coupled with the shock of losing his alpha had been a real problem. It was already problematic when mated alphas and omegas were separated due to death. As much as she was really trying to be magnanimous here, she did have ulterior motives. She didn't have time to coddle her omega hormones that were already starting to flare at meeting her mate.

Well that made things more complicated. Apparently she couldn't just run and hide from Santana without any consequences. "Look, if you want to spend time with me you can come to my fights. Would twice a week be okay for you?" Charlie offers.

"Spend time with you—I'm not some needy girlfriend." Santana spat back at her. "And fuck if _'spending time with you'_ was all it took then I could just rent the apartment next door and we'd never actually have to see each other. We're mates and it isn't just something that either of us can ignore because it's more convenient." She ran her hand through her hair and tried another tactic. "Look, what about health insurance? I bet you're paying a fortune to cover Harper, and you told me yourself you can't afford to go to the doctor. Our mate bond would mean that both you and Harper can be covered under my policy."

"So you want me to what? Sit on the couch while you provide for us? _I'm_ the alpha. I don't need any help to take care of my daughter—"

Santana rolled her eyes. "If you're just going to be a bitch, maybe you can think about this and we can talk when you're ready to act like an adult and not some four year old alpha throwing a temper tantrum because someone stole her toy."

Charlie frowns at this, what had she done to deserve this. "I don't need your charity Santana, so I'm just going to go. If you're getting a bit crazy or whatever it is that happens to you omegas you know where to find me. I have to get to the gym and start getting ready for my fight on Wednesday." Charlie pushes her chair back and gets up, ignoring the fact that the room spun.

Santana made a face, "You know when I was a kid, the only thing that I wanted was an alpha who _wasn't_ an idiot. You have a concussion, you're injured, and you _need_ to rest. You can't be fighting."

"If I don't fight, I don't eat." Charlie said with a shrug. "I need to pay for next month's rent and for cable, and everything that Harper needs. She's growing so I need to put some money away for new clothes. Shoes are expensive. So _yes_ , I have to fight."

"You _have_ to," Santana shook her head. "You're a bigger idiot than I thought."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know how hard it is to be an omega child when the alphas in your life insist on being an idiot? No? Neither do I. I _do_ know how much I worried about my Mami working, and my parents were pretty stable. She wasn't putting her life in danger twice a week just to put food on the table. And I _still_ worried about her and my Papi."

"That doesn't matter—"

Santana continues like she hadn't just been interrupted. "You're a great mom, I can see how much your kid loves you, but she _worries_ about you. She's an omega—"

"You have no right—"

"I have _every_ right," Santana barked. "So sit the fuck down and listen to someone for a change. Your daughter is an omega. She's hard-wired to try to take care of you. I'm not asking you to stop fighting for some weird power control issue. I'm asking for your fucking life. For your _daughter's_ life. But you know what? If you're too concerned with my being 'a bit crazy' to care, well fuck you." She stood, throwing her napkin at the table. "But once you get your head out of your own ass, come talk to me."

Charlie shook her head, "I don't _need_ an omega, especially not one that wants to treat me like some invalid," Charlie snaps at her. "Now excuse me, I've got a fight to prepare for." Charlie ignored Santana's frustrated growl and turned around and walked out of the stupid cafe. She and Harper were fine. She was _fine_.

Santana resisted the urge to smack her head against the wall, "That could have gone better," she mutters. " _Fuck_. Who did I screw over in a past life to get stuck with a dumbass alpha?`" Santana bitched loudly.

* * *

Of all the stupid asinine things to find herself doing on a Wednesday night, this had to be the worst. No wonder she had been saddled with a dumbass alpha, they were made for each other. That had to be the explanation, because there was no other reason she would subject herself to this torture-fest.

It was a far cry from her opinion of the events just a few short months ago. Fighting between alphas was as old as the dawn of time. Gladiatorial events were as common as breathing and a well-matched fight was both suspenseful and hot. When Charlie had invited her to the first match, she was prepared to be awestruck by watching her mate fight. She had believed it would be sexy.

It wasn't anything close to sexy. It was terrifying.

She wanted to close her eyes, hide while the parade of fists and kicks rained down on each fighter. But it was a train wreck that she couldn't pull herself away from. Each blow that struck Charlie felt like she was receiving it herself. She worried with each strike if that would be the last one Charlie would be able to take. Yes her mate had fought back, had been quick and fast—and her fists had hit accurately. Charlie was strong, she was also injured. How many fights had she been in? How many punches to the head had she taken?

Yet here she was, ready to watch her mate fight again. She had a _fucking_ concussion. She should have just let her do what she wanted but she was an omega and the urge to take care of her mate, of _her_ alpha burned inside of her, and she hated it. She absolutely _despised_ it. Because here she was at this stupid event with screaming fans, and people who were placing bets on the fight about to watch her mate go out there and fight. She had to be a masochist. That's the only thing that made sense. So she had decided she was just here to make sure that Charlie didn't die, she wasn't quite sure how to make that happen but that was the overall plan. Why the hell was her mate such a _dumbass_?

She sat towards the back hidden by the swarm of people surrounding her, and crinkled her nose. Charlie _probably_ wouldn't be able to smell her, not with the smell of sweat and scent of hundreds of other people in the packed room.

Santana cringed, this fight was almost done, both fighters were tired and on their last legs. Charlie's huge opponent wound up for what Santana was sure was a knock-out punch only to be surprised by Charlie's undercut that put him flat on his back.

She held her breath, waiting for any motion of the other player that might signal the threat to Charlie would continue. When he didn't get up, the referee stood and lifted Charlie's arm high in the air, turning her for the entire circular arena. Charlie caught Santana's eye and smirked before falling limply to the side and passing out. She was fairly certain her heart stopped. The rest of the spectators continued to clamor in their seats but Santana's feet moved on their own accord, guiding her to the ring.

She pushed her way inside, and moved to her mate's side. "Please don't be dead. Please _don't_ be dead, I swear I won't call you an idiot anymore just don't be dead." Santana repeated the mantra over and over again as she immediately grabbed Charlie's wrist, she had done this a million times before but right now it was difficult for her to find the pulse. She immediately gave up and just placed her head against Charlie's chest, relaxing when she heard a steady heartbeat. "You goddamn idiot," Santana mumbled in relief. She turns to the referee, "Can you help me carry her out to the locker room?" When the man hesitates she narrows her eyes. "That _wasn't_ a suggestion."

It took a few threats, and definitely a few rants, but eventually she got Charlie into the locker room where she was promptly dumped rather roughly on the hard bench. She was still out like a light and she nearly ripped into the referee, "Fucking asshole," she muttered. Of all the days to leave her bag in the car. She should have known that this was going to happen. The real question was why Charlie was unconscious to begin with. Did she have an epidural hematoma? There was a reason it was called the talk and die syndrome. Or perhaps it was something that was easily fixed. "That's it I'm taking you to the hospital. You're my mate, and if I have to make the lives of my co-workers miserable then so fucking be it." Santana says reaching into her purse to call an ambulance.

"Mmm fine." The slurred words come from Charlie and Santana looks up to notice that there are hazel eyes looking at her. "Tired."

"Stupid is more like it," Santana says. "You were just unconscious as a doctor I'd be—"

"No hospital, just lemme sleep," Charlie says and manages to roll over, only to fall off the bench and onto the cold ground.

Santana gritted her teeth, why dumbasses were allowed to refuse medical treatment was beyond her. Maybe she could get a court order or something drastic. She'd have to talk to her mami about that. "You are _not_ fine, you are a moron. Charlie you need to see a doctor—look if it's about money I'll pay for it. Hell you're my mate, you'll get the best damn care in the city just—" There's a sharp knock on the door and Santana turns distracted. Maybe it's someone with some help.

Artie slid into the girls' locker room after there wasn't an answer to his knock. "Everybody decent?" He called, but he didn't wait for a reply before turning the corner to the alcove where Santana was checking Charlie over. "Charlie you were amazing out there. A great show like always."

Santana gaped at the show boater. Charlie was barely responsive and he was stroking her ego? Charlie looked up from the floor. "You have my money?" She slurred.

"Five hundred." He waved the envelope. "I even broke it into small bills for you because I'm a nice guy."

"It was fifteen hundred last time." Santana narrows her eyes skeptically. It didn't sit right with her, how many times had Charlie been handed envelopes full of cash when she was barely able to understand what was happening?

Artie looked at Santana, "It's a Wednesday night, and there are less people here, which means she gets paid less. This is how it's always been. Besides she _barely_ won that fight. So _yeah_ it's five hundred."

"Don't talk to me like I'm some novice. Yeah, she _barely_ won that fight, but I bet you made twenty five thousand off the bets that came through your office." She challenged. She wasn't some doe-eyed idiot that would just take him at his word. "So _yeah_ it's more than five hundred." She retorted, standing and folding her arms over her chest. "If she's winning or even losing games, it makes her a more profitable fighter and you damn well better compensate her like it, or I'll help her find another club that will appreciate her."

Artie frowned and glanced over at Charlie who seemed to be out of it, "Eight hundred then."

"Listen to me carefully because I'm sure your pea-brained intelligence might not be able to keep up, you will pay her three grand for fighting tonight, think of it as negligent endangerment. You will then call her tomorrow and you will tell her that you're giving her a break to heal up. Just say some bullshit like you're protecting your investment. I don't really give a shit _what_ you say just sell it to her. Because if she dies in your ring which she's going to, I'm going to make sure that you're arrested. Then I'm going to sue you forever last penny, because anyone with half a brain can see that you're intentionally putting her in danger for profit. You _know_ she's one or two hits away from anything, an epidural hematoma, or hell post-concussion syndrome. You also know that she's not getting proper medical care so I think we can get way more than just negligence. Let's talk conspiracy? Attempted murder perhaps? You know what, make it _five grand_."

"That's _extortion_."

"That's my mate laying on the ground, so try again." Santana snaps at him. "Go get her money, and you call her tomorrow and you _tell her_ to get some rest." She waits but Artie is still staring at her. " _What the hell are you waiting for_?"

'I thought alphas only mated with omegas." Artie muttered, but slunk away. He could afford it, but who the hell was this mate to tell him what to do?

Santana growled at him, feeling her own protective surge for her mate and felt gleeful satisfaction when he scampered away quickly. She looked down at Charlie who was watching her with a dazed expression. "I won."

"You did."

"You came."

"I did." Santana said slowly and eyed Charlie carefully. She still hadn't moved from the floor, but was now resting with her head down against the floor.

"I didn't think you would."

"I didn't think I would either, but you're my mate. Even if you're an idiot," Santana says after a moment and slowly approaches her mate, sliding onto the floor beside her and running her fingers through Charlie's hair. She doesn't feel bad that she couldn't manage five minutes without calling Charlie an idiot, she just was incredibly relieved that Charlie seemed to be okay. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"I know," Charlie mumbles, relaxing at Santana's touch. It just feels so good, like curling up on a rainy day with a big mug of hot cocoa.

"I didn't think you did."

"It's Harper's birthday soon and it's got to be—I've got to make it good." Charlie rambles a little.

Santana smirks. Like everything it always comes back to Charlie's daughter. She gets it. Probably not as well as if she had a kid of her own, but she understands Charlie's loyalty to her child. She even admires it. But this almost crazed level of devotion isn't healthy. "Then let me help." She offers.

"No. It's just me and Harper. It's my fault she's so lonely." Charlie shifts a bit feeling a twinge in her side.

Santana sighted, and they were back to square one. "Speaking of your daughter—why don't we go pick her up after you get your money?"

"Dad said he'd drop her off." Charlie mumbles and finally starts to push herself up. "I need to read her a story, and check her homework."

Santana sighed, it was obvious that Charlie loved her daughter more than anything, and she wasn't quite sure how to break down that barrier. To get Charlie to open up to her. "Please don't puke this time." Santana said after a moment grabbing Charlie's arm and tugging her up. "Come on let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

Charlie stormed into the lobby at Quinn's stupid fancy office, the heavy envelope in her pocket feeling like a weight. She doesn't acknowledge the secretary who gives her the go ahead, and instead takes off down the hall to Quinn's office.

"Charlie. What are you—?"

She doesn't let her twin finish the sentence before unloading the fat envelope on her desk. "I don't need your charity."

"My—?" Quinn glanced down at the envelope. "Charlie, where'd you get this much money? And why do you have it in _cash_? Take it to a bank."

"Oh, don't play dumb with me." Charlie scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I know that you gave Santana the money and she slipped it into my winnings from last night. I'm not stupid. I don't need or want your help."

Quinn waits for a minute, trying to figure out exactly what she's supposed to say. "Okay?" She pokes her pen at the envelope of cash. "But seriously. You should take this to the bank or something, how much is in there?"

"Oh, like you don't know."

"I don't." Quinn admitted honestly, confused as to what was going on.

Charlie frowned, eyeing Quinn closely for any hint of deception. "You don't?"

"No. So could you please tell me what's going on?"

"Santana showed up at the fight last night and I guess Artie gave me my winnings. Next thing I know I wake up with ten times as much as what I normally make sitting in an envelope like some drug dealer." She furrows her brow. If it wasn't Quinn then it was Santana herself. She folds her arms over her chest and frowns. "So that means it's _her_ fault."

Quinn groans. This was the last thing she needed, one more person for Charlie to assume was trying to control her life. "Then maybe you should talk to her."

" _You_ talk to her." Charlie retorts. "It's your damn fault we're in this mess in the first place."

"You mean your mate-bond?" Quinn shook her head. "I'm allergic to too much time around Santana."

"She told you about that?" Charlie groaned. "And fuck you, I thought she was your friend."

"So it's true?" Quinn questioned. She had believed Santana—to a point, but hearing her twin's veiled admission set the issue in stone.

Charlie shrugged. "It doesn't matter—"

"Well yes, it does, it means that Santana's going to be family which means I need to invest in more tequila. No, wait, she'd _steal_ it all." Quinn frowned, this was her worst nightmare.

"It doesn't _matter_ because we're _not_ mating—" Charlie was cut off by her phone buzzing and she sighed and flipped it open. It was Artie, she couldn't really ignore him. "Yes?"

"Charlie! I've been doing some thinking—"

"That's dangerous," Charlie mutters under her breath.

"As my highest paid fighter, I need to protect my investment. You need to get all healed up, if you start losing again it's bad for business and I'll _lose_ money. It's a bad thing. So you take as much time as you need." Artie said, repeating the lines that Charlie's crazy mate was making him say.

"Since _when_ am I your highest paid fighter?" Charlie demanded.

"Wait—you _didn't_ get the five grand? Did you get played and the hot chick ran off with your money? It was _five_ grand—because if she did then we both got screwed. I mean she's hot so hopefully one of us got screwed in the _good_ way."

"You paid me _how much?"_

"Five grand. You're an investment Charlie and you need to take it easy. When you're feeling better come see me and I'll set up your next fight." He hung up and Charlie simply stared.

"So—" Quinn prodded. "You actually got paid that much?"

"Yeah," Charlie breathed. She wasn't sure she even really remembered the fight. She knew Santana was there, but most of the details were a little fuzzy. "Fuck. She totally had something to do with it. That _bitch_."

"Yeah, what a bitch." Quinn rolled her eyes. "She made sure you got paid well for a fight, and probably convinced your boss to let you heal up."

"This is your fault. Get her to stay the hell away from me and leave me alone. I don't care if she's my mate. She's a nuisance!"

Quinn chuckled. "I've been trying to get rid of her since she declared I was going to be her best friend freshman year of college. Trust me, it gets easier if you just give up and let her take care of you in her own weird way."

"That sounds an awful lot like Stockholm syndrome." Charlie fumed.

"Eh. It isn't that bad. She's an awesome cook, so there are definitely worse friends to have." Quinn shrugged. She picked up some papers and arranged them on her desk. "I'm not a fan of her joining the family, because I think she's crazy. I have from day one, _but_ I also think you should give her a chance. I don't know you have some money now take her out on a proper date. I can recommend several good restaurants—"

"The answer is _still_ no." Charlie said stubbornly. "I have Harper to think about—"

"Because you can't do both? I _get_ you not wanting to invite strange people into your daughter's life. You don't want her to get her hopes up or fall in love with that person and then it doesn't work out. I do understand that, but you found your _mate_. Santana _isn't_ going to just leave you or Harper. I am not _saying_ mate with her tomorrow. But—I don't know give her a chance. I mean she's crazy, pushy, terribly bossy for an omega but she's a good person." Quinn flicked her eyes to her twin.

"I don't care. Tell her to leave me alone, and to stop messing with my life." Charlie grumbled and shook her head. She reaches for the money on the table, not quite sure what to do with it, but she planned to create a budget for herself. Even after she paid rent and everything else she still had quite a bit of money leftover.

"You really should put that in a bank, you can't walk around with that type of cash on you," Quinn says knowing that her advice won't be listened to by her twin. She sighs and shakes her head. "Oh before I forget, what's an acceptable present to give to your daughter?" It was like pulling teeth, her parents generally gave big presents in an attempt to make sure that Harper was doing okay. Gift cards for clothes, toys, anything she wanted really. Things that everyone knew that Charlie couldn't afford. It drove Charlie crazy and she didn't want to listen to her twin bitch at her again.

* * *

Charlie fiddled with her stove. Today was Harper's birthday and she wasn't going to screw up breakfast this time. For the past two years in a row her kitchen had been conspiring against her, but not today. Today would be the first time in three years they _didn't_ have to call the fire department on Harper's birthday. She was just going to make pancakes. She could do this.

"Can't I just have cereal?" Harper asked nervously from the table.

Charlie frowned. "No you cannot have cereal. Today is your birthday and you are getting _pancakes_." Her parents had always done stuff like this when she and Quinn were little and she wanted to make sure Harper had good birthday memories. She had a tough time making friends, let alone having kids actually show up to her birthday parties. She knew it was her own fault, other parents were wary of an unmated Alpha, but it killed her to watch her daughter suffer.

Harper sighed, but made sure she had the phone close. If there was too much smoke she was going to call the 9-1-1, just to be safe. "Okay, but be careful."

"Who is the parent here?" Charlie turned to her daughter, pointing the spatula at her in faux annoyance. "You just sit there and prepare yourself for the best pancakes you've ever tasted."

Harper gave her mom a skeptical look, she could make mac and cheese and occasionally eggs, bacon was also pretty easy for her mom to make, but other than that it had more to do with luck. "Are we still going to grandma and grandpa's house for dinner?"

Charlie grumbled at her daughter, there was a dig in there somewhere. "Yeah, but I promise you that these pancakes are the best you're ever going to have. I've been practicing."

Harper huffed, "Well, can I help?"

"No, it's your birthday you're like Queen for the day," Charlie said eying the pancakes carefully. "This is going to be your best birthday yet Harper. We're going to the bowling alley and the aquarium—it's just going to be me and you all day. I don't have to work."

Harper grinned, at this two weeks of her mom not having to work, and she didn't look so beat up. Today was going to be a great day. "So—can we go to Olive Garden for lunch?"

"We can go _anywhere_ you want," Charlie promises as she flips a pancake pleased that it's golden brown instead of charcoal black, the chocolate chips having melted perfectly. She had put a hundred dollars aside for her daughter, well a hundred and fifty. She had bought her a present of course. "If you want to go to Olive Garden we can squeeze it—" There was a knock on the door and Charlie frowned. She turns to her daughter who had moved to open the door, "You know the rules Harper, you're not allowed to open the door by yourself." Charlie looks at her pancakes, she still has a few moments before she can plate the damn thing. She could answer the door, maybe it was just Quinn.

She frowned when she opened the door, wondering why she wasn't more surprised to see Santana with some huge stainless steel container in her arms and a bag of groceries hanging on her arm. She instinctively took the thermos and frowned when Santana stepped inside without an invitation. "Hey, Happy Birthday Harper!" She beamed.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie hissed.

"I came for your party." Santana addressed Harper, almost pointedly ignoring Charlie. "So what's the plan for today?"

Charlie put down the thermos carefully and frowned at her so-called mate. She was simply avoiding Santana, ignoring her phone calls and the like. "I'm serious—"

"What's burning?" Santana asked crinkling her nose.

"Burning—oh shit the pancakes," Charlie said rushing back inside to the kitchen.

Santana raised a brow and shook her head turning her attention back to Harper who was still standing there, "Does she do that often?"

"Burn pancakes? Yep," Harper said nodding her head. "You really came for my birthday?" She asked skeptically.

Santana nodded. "Your mom thought we could do a fun experiment, so I'm just here to supervise." She deflected. It wasn't a lie per se. But they were mates, and in the eyes of pretty much everyone else in the world, that meant something. She could tell Charlie was skittish, so it was up to her to push past whatever defenses and obstacles Charlie put in their way.

"And you're going to stay for the whole day?" Harper asked.

Santana shrugged. "If you want me to. If you don't then I'll leave whenever _you_ say." She didn't want to mess up with the kid's birthday and if _Harper_ wanted to spend the day with just her mom, then Santana would totally respect that. What she _wouldn't_ stand for would be anytime Charlie tried to use her daughter as a shield to keep from having to interact with the world.

Harper wasn't quite sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, she liked that they now knew somebody who was a doctor and could fix her mom after a fight. Santana was pretty cool. On the other hand, she liked that it was just her and her mom most of the time. But it would be nice to have somebody come to her party, maybe Santana could even join them for lunch. "Can you come to Olive Garden with us?"

"I'd _love_ to, if that's what you want." Santana agreed easily. She glanced over to where Charlie was busy trying to pry the charred pancake off the pan. "She really can't make pancakes?"

Harper turns to look at her mom and smiles, "Nope, we usually end up going to Ihop or Steak n' Shake. It's okay because I get to eat all the pancakes I want."

Santana bites her lip as she watches Charlie cursing at the pan, "Do you want to go to those places or would you like me to help your mom by teaching her how to make pancakes. It's really not that hard. Of course this is funnier."

Harper smiles a bit and turns to watch her mom flailing around the kitchen and she can't help but giggle, "Yeah—can you help her please?"

Santana nods and steps forward, taking the pan from Charlie and pushing the blonde back away from the hot surfaces in one swoop. "I've got this." Charlie grunts in frustration.

"No. Actually, you don't." Santana doesn't even try to sugar coat this. "You were about five seconds away from calling the fire department."

"I would have been _fine_ if you hadn't distracted me."

"You could have pulled the pancakes off the heat, so that one's not on me." Santana defends. She frowns and checks the skillet. Charlie really did a number on this. "Do you have any other pans?"

Charlie frowns and shakes her head, "This one is still perfectly fine."

Santana exhaled slowly, why did _she_ have to be the patient one. She wasn't patient, but Charlie insisted on acting like a petulant child. "It's fine, do you have one of those cookie sheets?"

"Yeah—" Charlie began a frown on her face as Harper darted in between them and grabbed and opened a cupboard to pull it out.

"Here you go Santana," Harper said helpfully. "What are you going to do with it?"

Santana took the sheet and dumped the skillet into the sink without a second thought and the sheet onto the exposed elements. "It's a nifty trick I picked up from watching _far_ too much food network," Santana admits adjusting the heat. You didn't make pancakes on high, it was a rookie mistake. It's how they burned easily. "Do you have some of that cooking spray—there it is," Santana said as she coated the pan with some and looked at the pancake mix that Charlie had beside the stove.

"What are you doing?" Charlie frowned.

Santana ignored her, laying the tray down on the stove. Charlie's batter actually doesn't look too bad. "Alright, so next we're going to need that bag of stuff I brought and a big sturdy bowl." Harper ran to get the different items. "That container is too heavy for an eight year old." She nodded for Charlie to go help her daughter.

Charlie bristled at Santana's expectant tone. "What the hell is your angle?" She hissed.

"Really, this is getting old. I'm here because I wanted to make sure that Harper had something special for her birthday. I told her I'd leave as soon as _she_ wanted me to. So go get the thermos that I'm sure she's trying to drag in here."

Charlie stared for a moment, "Stop trying to insert yourself in _my life_." It comes out in a throaty growl and she turns. This was _supposed_ to be her time with Harper and Santana was ruining it. Invading, and using Harper in a way that made her feel uncomfortable. She sees her daughter struggling with the large container and picks it up.

Santana ignores her. "How do pancakes and ice cream sound?" She asks Harper whose eyes widen in shock.

"Ice cream? For breakfast?" Harper couldn't believe it. She turned to her mom, "You planned this?"

"Well—" Charlie scratched her cheek. As if this couldn't be any more complicated, Harper seemed to be adoring Santana's attention.

"Your mom thought it would be fun, right Chuck?"

Harper giggles for a moment until she turns to her mom only to notice that her mother had gone rigid, a blank look on her face. Harper frowned a bit and moved to her mom to take her hand rub it gently, she got like this sometimes and she didn't know why. "It's okay mom, we don't have to have ice cream for breakfast—we can have it at my party right?"

Santana turned when she heard the concern in Harper's voice and stared at her mate, something was wrong. "Charlie, Harper and I can take care of breakfast, if you need a minute." The words didn't seem to register and Santana turned the heat down approaching Charlie slowly. She stops when Charlie turns to her and lets out a low growl. It takes her a moment to realize that Charlie isn't _looking_ at her, not really. She's not seeing her, there's someone else in front of her.

"Mom?" Harper tugged on Charlie's hand again. It takes a moment before her mother finally turns to her. Harper immediately wraps her arms around her tightly, "We don't have to go out today we can stay in and watch movies and—and—"

"Go bowling, to the aquarium and we're going to Olive Garden," Charlie says slowly. She blinks and forces a smile onto her face. "Sorry Harper, I just got—lost in a memory. I'm fine now. No, need to cry I'm not going anywhere." She promises wrapping her arms around her daughter and lifting her up. It doesn't matter if Harper is eight years old.

"Charlie—" Santana begins suddenly feeling uncomfortable. This wasn't supposed to happen, she wasn't even quite sure _what_ had happened.

"I think you need to leave." Charlie says not bothering to look at Santana.

"But she's a doctor—she can fix you," Harper mumbled into her mother's shoulder. It didn't happen very often, but it happened enough.

"I'm fine." Charlie's voice wavered far too much for anyone to actually believe her. "I promise, I'm fine."

"Harper, maybe your mom is right." Santana allowed. It cut, a painful lump in her throat at Charlie's dismissal but even she could see that Charlie needed space. She couldn't just bulldoze over Charlie's feelings, especially not with—whatever that had been. "You keep the supplies and we'll make ice cream next time."

"You're _sure_ you're okay?" Harper pressed. Sometimes her mom thought she had to be brave all the time. It made Harper feel nervous and she could tell Santana didn't believe her mom either.

"I promise." Charlie insisted. Her voice didn't waver this time but she did take a breath. "How about we just go to Ihop okay?"

Harper nods against her neck, "Okay," hearing the door gently close.

Santana stopped outside, leaning back with her head against the side of Charlie's apartment building. _That_ wasn't how this was supposed to go. How had she managed to fuck that up so terribly? It wasn't supposed to be this hard. She took a deep breath and walked away, her heart feeling as though she were pulling the end of a rubber band, stretching it tighter and tighter with each step. Shaking her head, she finally opened the door to her car, and quickly dialed Quinn.

She frowned, resting her forehead against the top of her steering wheel in defeat. She thought that if she just pushed hard enough that it would all work out, but now—what the fuck was she supposed to do now? Charlie was her _mate_ but she had a sinking feeling Charlie wouldn't spit on her if she was on fire. She groaned when Quinn's phone went to voicemail and instantly dialed the next number she could think of.

"Santana?"

"Mami?" Santana said biting her lip, when she heard her mother's voice. She felt like a teenager again, and she adjusts on her seat. She hadn't even told her parents that she had found her mate. What was there to tell? Charlie didn't want anything to do with her, and she didn't want to be the only Omega in the world who had found her Alpha, only to have the Alpha _reject_ her. "I— _found her_ ," she says after a moment. "My mate."

"Oh, _mija_ let me call your father, that's wonderful news—"

"She hates me. I fucked up." Santana continues. It _wasn't_ supposed to be like this. "She doesn't want anything to do with me and—I _really_ messed up."

Maribel was quiet for a moment, alphas didn't reject their mates. It just wasn't possible. They weren't _hardwired_ that way. "Santana, you listen to me there's nothing that you can do—"

Santana laughs. She would have said the same thing less than a month ago. She was a _doctor_ , and she had never even heard of this happening. But Charlie had growled at her, not the playful ones she had wanted to hear, no her intention had been clear. "She wants me to stay away from her."

Maribel stops. "She what?"

"She has a kid already, I just wanted to show her that I was fine with it and that we could deal—" Santana feels her own voice shaking and blinks back the burning at her eyes. She is _not_ going to cry about this. "I messed up."

"She _has a kid_?" Maribel repeated slowly, disbelief in her voice. "Are you _sure_ —?" This wasn't what she wanted for her daughter. "Are you sure she's your mate?"

"Yeah—I thought I understood but—" Santana leaned back in her seat, "I think I ruined this."

Maribel's heart broke for Santana. She had done everything right, sure she had been a bit more promiscuous than Maribel or Carlos would have liked, but she was good and kind. She had been heartbroken right along with a couple of her more serious beta love-interests, but just hadn't been able to replace the thought that one day she would finally find her alpha. "You listen to me, mija. There is nothing you could do to ruin this. Do you hear me?"

"You didn't—"

"Basta." Maribel cut her daughter off, her alpha instincts cowing her daughter with the single word even over the phone. "This is not your fault. You are older, and it's possible your mate has concerns that she doesn't feel like she can share with you yet. If your alpha needs space, or needs to take it slow, you let her set the pace. Understand?"

Santana rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mami."

Maribel sighed. Most alphas mated with their omegas within a few days at most. It was almost unheard of for mates to wait any longer than that. A child complicated things more than anything. "Besides, your alpha should be the one chasing you—so let her come to you. when she's ready."

"What if she doesn't?"

"Speaking from experience, after I met your father, it was _hard_ to be separated—"

"It's not like that. She doesn't _want_ anything to do with me. I have to find her if I want to see her, I have to search her out and she just rejects me." Santana lets out a bitter laugh. "Unless she's recently concussed or dead tired, then she's fine with my presence—it makes me feel—like shit."

"She's your alpha." Maribel surmised in agreement. It was one of the sacred responsibilities of an alpha, they were entrusted with protecting their omega at all costs. She frowned, her own mind racing. She had heard of omegas getting seriously ill if they were separated from their alpha. "If you start to feel sick—"

"We talked about it, I can call her for that." She didn't think she would, it didn't matter if Charlie was her alpha or not, she still had to have _some_ pride. Who needed an alpha anyway?


	5. Chapter 5

Quinn frowned and checked the clock on her phone. Santana was late. Even though _that_ wasn't necessarily a surprise, Santana wasn't usually this late. She sighed and unlocked her phone. She might have gotten caught up in surgery, which had happened before, but usually she was courteous at least to let Quinn know that she would be late once it hit the half-hour mark.

"Santana—" She started talking as soon as she heard the call answered. "Please tell me you didn't forget—"

"Quinn?" A different voice answered.

"Dr. Lopez." Quinn straightened up a bit in her seat an instinct from having Santana's parents drop by one too many times when they were in college, and frowned at the sound of Carlos Lopez's voice. Santana hadn't mentioned that her parents were in town. Then again Santana hadn't been very chatty the last few days. Unanswered texts, the usual call to complain about her day. "I was just calling to see what was taking Santana. We were supposed to meet for our weekly lunch."

"I'm afraid—she can't make it today. She's been sick—real sick. We're trying to get in touch with her _mate_ but Santana's not telling us who she is—you know how she gets." Carlos explained to Quinn as he massaged his temples. "But according to her it's been a _month_ since she's seen her mate last. A _month_ , they haven't even mated yet—I just—do you know who her mate is? I'm beginning to get concerned."

Quinn groaned. Of course her stupid idiot twin sister would force it to come to this. A month? That was—it was beyond dangerous, it was almost cruel. "Yeah, unfortunately I do."

"Bring her, please." Carlos's voice was desperate. "I'm trying to treat her, but none of the medicines in the world can compare to her alpha. Please Quinn—"

She was going to kill Charlie when she saw her next. Santana was her best friend and no self-respecting alpha would ever let their omega suffer like this. "I promise. I'm at our usual spot, but I'll go pick her up right now and we'll be right there. You're at Santana's hospital?"

"No, we're in her apartment," Carlos confirmed.

"Give me an hour I need to drive across town," Quinn said and frowned, she actually had no idea _where_ her twin was today. She would need to call around. Hopefully Charlie or Harper would pick up on the first ring. It wasn't just irresponsible of Charlie, it was downright embarrassing. What type of message was she leaving for Harper?

"Thank you Quinn. We'll see you soon."

Quinn winced when he ended the call. Of all the asinine things that Charlie had done—this had to take the cake. But it did explain why Santana hadn't brought up her twin in _weeks_. "Goddamnit Charlie," Quinn said shaking her head and dialing her twin's numer. It takes two rings before someone picks up.

"Hello?" Harper asked before pulling her ear away from the phone. "I got it mom!"

"Harper? Hey it's your Aunt Quinn, where are you guys?"

"It's _laundry_ day, so we're at the laundromat near our house. We walked over and mom bought me a hot dog. It was _huge_."

Quinn shuddered and gets momentarily distracted. "Why are you at the laundromat? Your building has laundry built in." She should know, she manages the whole building. She has also spent hours assuring her parents that Charlie's building had everything she and Harper could need.

She could practically feel Harper's look of disgust. "Yeah, but it makes our clothes smell funny so Mom said we could use this one."

"Why didn't your mom tell me?" Quinn shook her head in annoyance. It was _always_ like this. Something would break in the apartment and rather than _telling_ Quinn and letting Quinn make her parents fix it, Charlie just let it stay broken. Sometimes she would try and fix it, other times she just seemed to bury her head in the sand. But this was exactly why Russell and Judy had bought the building in the first place. They wanted a place where they knew their daughter and granddaughter would be safe and taken care of. Harper didn't answer, of course she didn't. Quinn narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Tell your mom you two have to finish up because we're coming to pick you up in thirty minutes."

"Mom, Aunt Quinn says she's coming to pick us up—" Harper listens for a moment before turning her attention back to the phone. "Oh right, we were supposed to go see a movie tonight."

Quinn exhales, "Do you mind going with Beth and Aunt Rachel instead? I _really_ need to see your mom. Like this is _super_ important."

Harper hums in response, she always got her own popcorn when she went out with her cousin and aunt, and a bunch of candy. "Okay! I'll tell mom. I'll see you soon." Harper said ending the call.

Quinn sighed and called her mate, she could already feel the headache coming and she just wanted today to be over and for her best friend to get better. She was going to _strangle_ her twin. She had a feeling her parents were going to be _just_ as furious. They _liked_ Santana. Of course it would mean actually _telling_ them that Charlie and Santana were _mates_ , this whole thing was going to blow up in her face she just knew it.

~O~

Maribel paced the corridor, furiously trying to find something to do. Carlos was in with Santana, apparently despite the fact that she had given _birth_ to Santana, there was nothing she could do to fix the rare illness that had crippled her beautiful daughter. What type of alpha couldn't even protect her child?

She shook her head. It wasn't her fault, it was that good for nothing mate of hers.

"I still don't get why I even have to be here?" A voice carried down the empty hallway.

"You're here because your mate is nearly in the hospital because _you_ are an idiot." Maribel recognized Quinn's voice immediately. As college friends, she had met Quinn several times throughout the years. Her eyes narrowed as she realized that the other person must be Santana's never-present mate.

"I told her to call me if she started to get—" The other girl replied.

Maribel felt her blood boil and marched around the corner, pinning the blonde who had been speaking against the wall with a protective growl. She startled for a minute, thinking maybe she had made a mistake when she looked over to see Quinn standing beside her. Turning back to Santana's good-for-nothing mate, she curled her lip instinctively. "You told my daughter to 'call you' if she started to get sick? What type of alpha lets their omega suffer for any reason, let alone their own pure selfishness?" She pushed the so-called Alpha against the wall hard. "Well? Answer me!"

Charlie eyes narrowed immediately. she glanced over at Quinn who was pinching the bridge of her nose. She wasn't going to get any help from her. "Look, I'm sorry—"

" _Sorry_. Sorry doesn't _fix this_. She _collapsed_ at work. She got sick because you couldn't _bother_ yourself to do what you're supposed to. You _left_ your omega to suffer and if she didn't _need_ you right now I swear—"

Charlie moved breaking the hold that Maribel had on her body, almost immediately Quinn was between the two of them. _Of course_. "I have a kid, Santana _knew_ that. She knew my daughter came first, I _told_ her to call me. Hell I expected her to bulldoze her way into my life like she did before showing up on my kids _birthday_ and trying to—hell I don't know what she was trying to do. But I told her _no_."

Maribel growled at this and pushed against Quinn, this _couldn't_ be her daughter's mate. She just _couldn't_ be. No alpha could talk about their omega with such callous disregard. "You're _mates_ , she's supposed to be pretty high on your list of priorities. Certainly higher than your—your— _bastard daughter_."

Quinn immediately pushed her body against Charlie's the moment that she heard the deep vicious growl escape her twin's lips, and she lunged at Mariel. " _Charlie_ , come on." It wouldn't do to have Charlie rip Santana's mother apart. "Mrs. Lopez you were _out of line_." Quinn snaps at her. She understood Maribel's frustration but insulting Charlie's daughter was unfair.

" _Maribel_ ," Carlos said firmly causing his wife to turn to him. "We don't have time for this, she needs to see her. She's not getting better and treating the symptoms is no longer working."

Maribel eyed Charlie carefully for a moment but shook her head, "Lambda," she spat at Charlie.

"What the _hell_ did you just call me? I'll have you know—"

"Come on Charlie, just let it go." Quinn said tugging her twin along. She should have switched places with Rachel. But she doubted that her mate could step between two _warring_ alpha's like this. She wasn't quite sure she trusted Charlie to take care of her omega while she wasn't around.

Charlie balled her hands up into tight fists before storming inside Santana's apartment pulling away from Quinn and the rest of Santana's family. She didn't even need directions she just _knew_ where Santana was. She resisted the urge to slam the door to Santana's bedroom closed instead she pushed it closed gently and marched directly to Santana. She was furious, but as she approached the fury started to dissipate, till she was standing beside Santana. Her mate shivering under the sheets, she could smell her arousal from here. "I thought we agreed that you'd call me before it got this bad," Charlie muttered and took a seat on the bed beside her mate and gently placed a hand on her arm and began to rub it gently. She watches as Santana's eyes flutter open at the initial touch. "This _wasn't_ supposed to happen."

"Go away." Santana's voice came out hoarse which made Charlie wince more than if she were being yelled at. "I don't need you. You're a dick."

She continued rubbing gentle circles on Santana's arm. "You're right." She agreed. After a moment of silence she added in a halfway teasing tone, "But you're the one who stopped stalking me."

Santana sat up, her teeth chattering. "Fuck you, I didn't stalk you. I was trying to do the right thing."

"You were _supposed_ to call when you needed me." Charlie chastised. She had been thinking about Santana non-stop over the last few weeks, but had assumed that Santana would show up when she wanted to.

"I didn't trust you to come." Santana sat back against her bed. This was humiliating on so many levels. Not only had she passed out during _surgery_ , but she had been told in no uncertain terms that she wouldn't be allowed back until her mate signed off that she was fit to return to work. All of the other omegas seemed to be looking at her with pity while the alphas shook their heads in disbelief. She was tired of being some freak show. Was it too much to ask for the same thing that everybody else had?

Charlie winced. She deserved that. "I would have come." Charlie insists anyway.

"You don't even _like me_." Santana accuses, there's a _huge_ part of her that wants to simply crawl into Charlie's lap and just take comfort in her presence, but she's stubborn and she's ticked at the woman in front of her.

Charlie studies Santana, she really did look _awful_. "You're right I don't." She admits and shrugs when Santana's jaw drops. "But you _are_ my mate, even if you're extremely pushy and think you know what's best for everyone. You're my mate and I do care about your well-being."

Santana coughs, "I just wanted to show you that I could be there for your kid. That we could make it work. She's a smart kid—"

"Your mother called her my bastard daughter," Charlie points out, her tone flat.

Santana winces at this statement. "I'm _not_ my mother. I'm your _mate_. Look I get that you're worried about having a revolving door but I'm your _mate_. You _know_ that once the bond is in place I'm not going anywhere, so even if you don't trust me—trust that."

Charlie was quiet for a moment and decided to look around Santana's apartment. She had expensive tastes, it was a nice apartment in a really nice area of town. She was probably a pillar of the community. "No." Charlie shrugs again. "Whether you're my mate or not, I don't trust _anyone_. Especially not with my daughter."

Santana stares at Charlie for a moment before deciding to roll over so her back is to her mate—no Charlie. She was just Charlie. "Fine, go away."

Charlie sighed but didn't move. "We can make this—"

"No, we _can't_. Trust is a two way street, you can't expect me to trust you if you don't trust me. If you don't trust me and you won't tell me _how_ to gain that trust, then this whole thing is never going to work," Santana pointed out. "So please just leave."

Charlie raised a brow, " _Santana_."

Santana shivers and she can feel her temperature spike for a moment and her eyes dilate and it takes her a moment to shake the effect off. That was _low_. She turns around on the bed and picks up one of her pillows and throws it at Charlie's head. The pillow doesn't get that far and lands on the ground in front of Charlie. "You _don't_ get to do that. You _don't_ want to be my alpha so _don't_. You can't just—just—turn it on when it pleases you to get me to do what you want. So _leave_." Charlie doesn't move and she would pick up her last pillow and throw it at Charlie or try and strangle her with it if she could but she chooses to turn back around. "I mean it, _get out_."

Charlie shifts for a moment and sighs, before getting up and opening the door. She doesn't say anything when Quinn, Carlos and Maribel stumble forward. She just sidesteps them and shuffles out of the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Maribel says reaching for Charlie's arm to pull her back. She didn't care if Santana had demanded for her mate to leave, she wasn't doing well and _needed_ her mate. She misses as Charlie pulls away from the three of them and leaves the apartment, pulling out her phone as she does.

Maribel turns angrily to Quinn who immediately places her hands up, she hadn't been able to control her twin in _years_. "I'll talk to her." She personally couldn't even _read_ Charlie's emotional state right now. She turned to try to follow Charlie, leaving Maribel and Carlos at Santana's bedroom door.

"Maybe they could mate once?" He suggested, throwing out potential solutions though he was grasping at straws. "Or they could see each other once a day? Maybe that would be enough—"

"Enough?" Maribel was practically spitting with rage, "She's not some beta that can just go find someone else. A few minutes a day is hardly the same as a mate bond, Carlos." She frowns when Quinn comes back without her twin in tow, and opens her mouth to say something.

"Everybody shut up and leave me alone." Santana grumbled. "I'm trying to sleep."

"Of course." Carlos agreed immediately, tugging his wife away from their ailing daughter. He doesn't expect Charlie to brush past him with a bottle of water in her hand.

Maribel steps forward to stop Charlie from entering the bedroom, but she's a step faster and suddenly the door is slammed in her face. "That little—"

"Maribel, let them sort it out," Carlos said with a sigh. "In the end it's going to be the two of them."

* * *

Santana had been freezing for the last few days, never able to get warm no matter how many blankets she piled on top of herself. So when she wakes up a later feeling almost cozy, she stays still and revels in the feeling. A few hours have passed, she can tell just by the stiffness in her joints and that's almost more surprising than being warm. She had only been able to sleep for a few minutes at a time before her teeth chattering woke her up.

Maybe she had been wrong and Charlie _wasn't_ her mate. She feels better, certainly better that she had felt in days and it was quite possible that she was just sick. Some viral infection or bacterial one that her body had been fighting for a few days. She worked in a hospital, it was possible. She shifts a bit nuzzling her pillow only to freeze at the scent, and the realization that she's not pressed up against her pillow. Her eye snaps open and she realizes that Charlie's _right_ there, and she's nuzzled into her side.

"Feeling better?"

Santana pulled away from Charlie who seemed to be playing on her phone. Her mate was sitting on the bed beside her, leaning against her headboard. "No." She lied feeling an almost irrational flare of anger that Charlie had indeed been the cause of her rapid turnaround.

"Liar." Charlie chuckled.

Santana glances at the clock on her nightstand and tries to pull away. "It's after four in the afternoon. What about Harper?"

"My parents have her for the night, she'll get to watch television, eat a decent home-cooked meal for once and get spoiled." Charlie replies. It wasn't her favorite thing to do, Harper always came home with new clothes and a few new toys.

"That's great." Santana grumbled, grabbing one of the pillows from behind her head and forcing it between her own body and Charlie's. "Thanks for the help. You can go now."

"I will come, if you need me." Charlie said slowly allowing Santana to build a small fort to keep them separated.

"I won't. But thanks." Santana insisted adding another pillow layer of protection.

Charlie's eyes narrowed, changing her mind right then. "You're going to make yourself sick again, and for what? To prove a point?"

"Damn straight." Santana grumbles, "You don't even _like_ me. Do you know how humiliating it is to be the one omega in the entire world who has an alpha who _rejects_ them? I'll be in a medical journal someplace and not the way I _want_ to be." She turns and frowns at Charlie. "Why haven't you left yet?"

"Probably the same reason you never leave when I ask you to," Charlie points out putting her phone down, and plugging it in.

Santana blinks she certainly didn't have any chargers like that in her home. "Are you making yourself _comfortable_ —you aren't staying!" Charlie ignored her and Santana frowned and picked up one of the pillows to smack Charlie with. "You _have_ to leave."

"No, you might be feeling better but I'd rather make sure. So, I'll be here till the morning. Don't worry I'll stay on my side of the bed. Not sure that pillow fort will hold though, you latched on and started to drool all over me."

Santana's jaw dropped, "I _didn't_." Charlie snorts and picks up her phone again. "I don't leave because I want to show you that I _want_ to mate and get to know you and I don't know _start a life_ with you?" Santana says deciding to go back to a topic that she could handle.

"Oh, I thought it was just to get under my skin," Charlie replies. "If you wanted to have sex with me, you should have just asked."

Santana stares at Charlie slightly stunned and crosses her arms over her chest. Them being in the same bed isn't doing anything to help her current arousal. "Fine, let's _fuck_. Right now—"

"No."

"No?"

"You're my mate." Charlie admits and though they are the words Santana's been waiting to hear her admit of her own volition, she can't help but scoff. Charlie frowns but stands her ground. "I'm not going to just fuck you when you're too sick to even remember it."

"Of course it's a no, why did I even think—" Santana shakes her head and decides to turn over. "Whatever."

Charlie studied Santana's back for a long moment, she hadn't expected to find a mate, especially not someone like Santana. The omega was irritating as hell and bossier than any omega had a right to be. "Finding a mate was never exactly high on my list of priorities. I have a _good_ life with Harper, and—"

"Yeah, I get it, you want to live in your tiny little apartment struggling every day to just survive." As tempting as it was to remain facing away from Charlie, she turns again to catch her eye. "You're an _alpha_ by the way, what do you know about being an omega? What do you know about going into _heat_? Pretending that other people don't exist because you want to protect your daughter from people who are just going to enter and exit her life. It doesn't matter if we're _mates_. It doesn't matter that once we bond—there is _no_ going back. I was serious about adopting her about being a _family_. If you're worried about her other parent—well my mom's an attorney she has to know someone—"

"I know where her other mother is." Charlie admits and winces as the truth rolls off her tongue. Damn it. She had heard Quinn say that she couldn't lie to Rachel, was this what she meant?

"Where is she?"

"San Antonio, Texas." For all of the vague answers she's always given her daughter, the truth bursts out of her before she can stop it.

Santana's eyes soften. "Did you try to find her?"

Charlie bites her tongue, but her body insists on acting against her and nods. "She sends Harper a cheap Walmart card every year, doesn't even write a message just adds her name."

"I would never do that to you. Or to her." Santana insists. She's heard of omegas leaving their whole lives behind once they find their mate and she wonders if that's what happened to Charlie's ex.

"I know." Santana blinks at the simple response and turns to look at Charlie, "You seem _obsessed_ with me."

Santana grits her teeth and picks up a pillow about to smack Charlie again with it when she pauses, "Wait so if you're not worried that I'm about to leave—then what's the _problem_?"

Charlie frowns a bit and hesitates for a moment, struggling with the urge to simply tell her. But it's been years and she can't even repeat it out loud. "You're a _doctor_ , you tell me. Harper's mother found her mate, and she gave Harper to me in an attempt to—" Charlie trails off.

" _Oh_ ," Santana whispers quietly. "She was trying to protect Harper from—" she can't even say the words.

"Yeah. He made it clear that he wasn't going to raise a bastard like Harper. He didn't tell her to give Harper to me, he just made it clear he would want nothing to do with her. That the money that he made—wasn't going to be used to support a child that wasn't his. So I'm not _mad_ at her, and I don't hate her. Giving Harper to me was probably the best thing for Harper. Either way she's got three kids now."

"I don't understand what that has to do with me." Santana frowned. "I'm not looking to replace Harper, fuck I'm not sure I _want_ to get pregnant at this point in my life."

Charlie frowns, not understanding how Santana couldn't see the issue. "Your mother had no problem calling her a bastard. That's what people see her as. She didn't _do_ anything, She's never hurt anybody, and yet—I know things are _difficult_ for her. But she smiles, even when the other kids make fun of her, or they don't show up to her birthday parties. Yeah, I know a lot of it is my fault, but I try and be nice to the parents, I try and do the right thing all the time. I'm polite I'm helpful it doesn't matter."

"So let me _help_." Santana shifted. "My mom is old and senile and you should never listen to anything she says." She smiles when Charlie laughs but turns serious.

"I can't be _selfish_ anymore. I can't just bring a girl home and inform Harper that she's going to be have a new parent. I can't put her through that huge of a change."

"Have you ever thought of what message you're sending to Harper?" Santana pressed. "One day she's going to find a mate of her own and then what—? That's not as important as whatever noble intentions she has?"

Charlie frowned. She hadn't really thought of that.

"And for that matter, why should you or anyone else care what other people think?" She shook her head. "It's none of their damn business."

"I _don't_ care what other people think. I care that Harper's eight years old and it _matters_. How they treat her for being different _matters_. You weren't there when no one showed up for her fifth birthday party. She didn't understand, and she wondered if _she_ had done something wrong. She _hadn't_. I busted my ass to get the party set up and everything. No one showed up. She's eight. She's _eight_ ," Charlie repeats the words. "So they might be idiots, they might be old and senile, but what they think _matters_ only because my kid should never have to worry about what's wrong with her. There _isn't_ anything wrong with her."

Well that certainly explained why Charlie didn't trust just _anyone_ with her daughter, "Harper—Harper comes first," Santana says quietly.

"I get that this isn't what you signed up for." Charlie sighed. She was trying to do the right thing here, but it seemed like no matter what she did she just kept fucking it up.

"I'm _fine_ with you making your daughter a priority in your life, you're a _good_ mom. I just want to be _a_ priority in your life. I mean you're my mate. You're _it_ for me. So maybe—we take things slow? I promise I won't just barge into your life anymore and try and take things over. Just—all I'm asking is that you _give_ me the opportunity to earn your trust, to earn Harper's."

"Fine." Charlie bit the inside of her lip. They really couldn't keep going down this path, Santana had a point. She owed it to Harper to show her how to have an adult relationship—now she just had to figure it out for herself. She pinched Santana's hip lightly. "But no more showing me up. Harper's been going on for weeks about that stupid ice cream thing."

Santana smirked. "That will be hard." There was a momentary pause before she decides to push for it. "Hey Charlie can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened? On Harper's birthday?" She watches as Charlie's body tightens and she bites her lip. She had definitely hit a nerve.

"I got lost in a memory," Charlie replied after a moment, the words coming simply to her. "I'm fine. I wasn't having a stroke." She laughs at her own joke and relaxes when Santana lets out a small snort.

"Well, that's good to know." Santana says forcing a smile on her face, not believing Charlie for a _moment_. She didn't know _how_ she knew but she could just tell that Charlie wasn't being completely honest with her. Not about that, but for once she was going to let it go. Maybe her mom was right and Charlie needed to come to her about her demons.


	6. Chapter 6

Santana barely had time to reach and cover her mouth as she checked all her missed calls and texts. It was easier to focus on that then the fact that Charlie hadn't been in her bed this morning. She had thought that they had made _some_ progress, but truthfully it could have all been a figment of her very overactive brain. Though her sheets still smelled like her mate, so she hadn't _imagined_ that Charlie had stayed the night. She had _questions_ that needed to be answered. She would have to wait until Charlie finally came to her for that. Just like she'd have to wait for Charlie to invite her into Harper's life.

That didn't mean that she wasn't going to push and shove her way into Charlie's life. Harper was off-limits, that much she understood, but she could still go see Charlie fight, she could still bother her in other ways. _Maybe_ she should join the gym that Charlie worked out in. It was something to think about. A low annoyed growl and the banging of _her_ precious pots and pans caused her to finally look up, finally noticing her parents.

"What type of _alpha_ just _leaves?_ Just like that? Sneaks out in the middle of the night—Santana could still be sick—"

"I'm fine," Santana says speaking up going back to flipping through her messages. "I spent a fortune on those pans by the way—"

"Maribel—" Carlos began trying to soothe his wife, glancing at his daughter carefully, she looked _better_. Yesterday she could barely stand and she could barely stop the shivering. "I'm sure she had her reasons—"

"What _reason_? What could she possibly be doing that meant leaving Santana's side?" Maribel snapped angrily.

"Taking her daughter to school?" Santana says after a moment, reading the message that Charlie had sent at five am in the morning. She held out her phone and wiggled it. "I'd say that's pretty important."

Maribel frowned "It's still not right."

"So is calling her kid a bastard," Santana points out bluntly narrowing her eyes. "We _talked_ , and I get it. I get why she cares so much, when there are people thinking like that and _treating_ her kid like crap—why wouldn't she be a bit protective?"

Maribel bristles and Carlos sighs. With the way his wife and daughter went at it, most people would assume that they were both alphas. He put his arms around his wife's waist in an attempt to calm her and steps in before either of them can make it worse. "What if you were in Charlie's position, Mari?"

"I never would be." Santana smirked as her mom ground her teeth to try to stop the truthful answer.

But her Papi wasn't done. Sometimes Maribel spoke before she really considered how it sounded. "Would you actually care less about Santana if she weren't my daughter?" He pressed.

"She _is_ your daughter." Maribel counters. She's never really practiced lying to Carlos, and curses herself for never considering that he could turn against her like this. But when she glances over at her own daughter who is looking at her expectantly, she sighs. "Fine, no. I wouldn't. But I never made that mistake—"

"It's not the same, as far as I can tell Charlie never _meant_ for this to happen to begin with. It is what it is. She got an omega pregnant, and now she has a daughter. One that when we're ready, I plan to adopt—so really you just called your future granddaughter a bastard," Santana points out. "You're lucky Charlie didn't attack you—"

"She was about to if Quinn hadn't intervened," Carlos said pouring his daughter a cup of coffee.

"Oh. Well. She probably would have really hurt you," Santana said glancing at her mother.

Maribel bristled at this and immediately Carlos patted her on the hand to calm her down. "We're getting old Maribel, and she's still relatively young—it's what happens—Santana stop antagonizing your mother," he snaps at his daughter who flashes him a smirk.

"Fine, I need to go bother Quinn and then I'm going to go see my mate, and harass her." Santana said ignoring the coffee that her father placed in front of her. "I'm _fine_ you know, you can go back home. I'm not going to let it get that bad again."

"You shouldn't have let it get that bad in the first place." Carlos called out after her.

~O~

Quinn grabbed her jacket and glanced down at her phone once more, a picture of Rachel in just a very see-through nightie. She had an hour for lunch, it was _barely_ enough time, but her mate was in heat, which meant that she was _needed_ all the time. It almost made up for her rather crappy weekend, which had involved stopping Maribel from trying to murder her twin. This would more than make up for —

"Hey Q-ball," Santana said as she entered Quinn's office, despite her secretary attempting to stop her.

Kurt frowned. "I'm sorry Ms. Fabray, but she—"

Quinn waved away his apology and he shut the door, probably because he was just as glad to get rid of Santana as she would be. "This isn't our weekly scheduled session, now leave."

"Aww, Quinnie, is that any way to talk to your very best friend in the whole entire world?" Santana smirked, flopping down on the cushy couch in Quinn's office.

"No." Quinn barked, but she was fairly aware it came out as more of a whine. "I have things I have to do, and I don't need this—"

"You mean Rachel, right?" Santana's cheshire grin told Quinn she knew exactly how infuriating this interruption was. "Well, this is important. The five minutes you need with Rachel can wait."

"Five minutes?" Quinn bristled.

"Was I being generous?" Santana asks smirking as Quinn turned a dark shade of red. "Anyway, I'm here to talk about your twin."

"Seriously? This can't wait an hour?"

"Overestimating our abilities are we?"

"Shut-up. It's my lunch break. Aren't you supposed to be elbow deep in someone?"

"I'm taking the week off, you know if you just sat down for ten minutes and answered a few questions—" Quinn's cellphone went off and Santana smirked watching as Quinn pulled it out. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes dilated. "Really is it wise for Rachel to be sending you sexy pictures? Which probably aren't even all that sexy?"

Quinn stuffed the phone back in her pocket and glared at Santana, "You know what? Go bother your mate."

Santana smirked, "I don't know where Charlie is right now, so you're simply going to have to—"

Quinn moved and scribbled down an address on some paper. "There, that's the gym where she works out in. She spends most of the day there, and then goes to pick up Harper, unless she's managed to get a construction job, then she could be anywhere. Now go find her and harass her." She held out the sticky note for Santana. There were times when she felt bad for selling out her twin, when she had broken their mom's vase and blamed Charlie was one of those times, this wasn't.

Santana smirked, "Perfect, I was looking for a new gym to join."

Quinn raised a brow, there was a small part of her that wanted to pick apart that statement but decided that she wasn't going to do it. "Right, whatever. Go away now, go pester Charlie."

* * *

"At close range, long punches don't work! You know this, you've been doing this for years. Rapid hits, with short punches. Hit them with uppers and straights and shorts!" Puck snapped at Charlie before frowning. "What the hell happened to your guard and your head movement?" His hands swung forward with the boxing pad smacking Charlie in the face. " _Come on_."

Charlie takes a step back and eyes Noah for a moment, "Are you actually ready this time?" Charlie asked. "Cause I don't think I have to hold back because of any nagging injuries. I'm actually feeling good."

Puck scoffed, "Give it your best shot, you've been a step slower these days—guys are saying that you're past your prime." He smirked when Charlie scowled, good keeping her focused and annoyed generally produced better results. He still didn't quite understand why she hadn't gone pro, she could have made it, she certainly had the talent and the work ethic. He blinked when Charlie finally put her guard up and moved forward, any talk of her flat-footed would have to be tabled for now, as the punches hit his pads hard, forcing him back.

Puck winced, even with the pad he was _definitely_ going to be feeling this tomorrow, the snap of her gloved hands hitting his filled the air and when she pulled back he immediately took a quick swipe at her head, only for Charlie to duck under the blow. Immediately Puck took another step back and winced when his back hit the ropes. He only had a second before Charlie struck her hand slamming against his padded ones with enough force to pull the pad off and send it flying "Alright! Alright you've made your point!"

"Anyone still think I'm flat-footed?" Charlie asked loud enough to cause a few fighters to turn to her. "I think I'm ready to start sparring again—"

"No, you're still nursing that rib injury, and you've got a fight in two weeks," Puck said rubbing his hands. The force behind those blows were still something, and she wasn't fighting with mounting injuries which meant that this was going to be a _bloodbath_ in Charlie's favor. "Go for a run or something—hey are you paying attention to me?" Puck demanded when Charlie suddenly turned towards the entrance. He followed her gaze and it rested on the woman standing at the doorway. "Well _hello_."

A growl ripped out from Charlie's throat that caused everyone in the gym to stop what they were doing catching them all of guard. If she was honest it caught her off guard and she watched as a pleased smirk crossed Santana's face. "Back off." Charlie says pulling off her gloves and hopping out of the ring.

Puck blinked and took a step forward. Whatever this was, it was too juicy to ignore.

"What are you doing here?" She asks Santana, grabbing her water bottle and taking a deep gulp.

"Hello to you too, gorgeous." Santana tugs playfully at Charlie's sweat-drenched wife beater. The wife beater has a few holes in it and she can't help slipping her finger into one of them and touching her mate. She had no idea how they had gotten there but she didn't really care. "You didn't have to dress up for me, but I do appreciate it."

Charlie swats Santana's hand away, rolling her eyes. "Has anyone ever told you not to touch stuff that doesn't belong to you?" She's pretty sure Santana hasn't abided by a rule in her life.

"You're my mate." Santana shrugged, "You _do_ belong to me."

"She's your _what_?" Puck hopped out of the ring, mostly because if he didn't he might pass out in shock from the revelation. " _Charlie_ found a _mate_? And she's hot?"

"Puck." Charlie warned again with a low growl.

He held up his hands defensively even as Santana winked. "Don't worry about it. Her bark is worse than her bite, although I haven't yet had the pleasure of the second one—"

This was mortifying, and glancing around the room at the other gym enthusiasts and their not so subtle attempts to check Santana out she didn't have much patience left. She pulled Santana away, leading down the corner to the women's locker room. "Seriously, what are you doing here?"

Santana blinks, and tears her eyes away from the drop of sweat that was slowly making its way down Charlie's neck and onto her chest. "Hmm? Oh. I've decided to join a gym. _This_ gym."

"No."

"Membership is seventy-five a month," Puck called out.

"Just seventy-five dollars?" Santana said, of course it was. Charlie wasn't exactly _swimming_ in cash. "That's cheaper than my last gym, like several hundred dollars cheaper." Of course her last gym had all the newest equipment in it. "I'm in, who do I pay?"

"Santana, you can't keep—"

"Can't keep what? I'm not allowed to go to the gym now?" Santana asked.

"You just want to watch me work out!" Charlie grumbles. It was going to be distracting to have Santana around. She'd have to growl at nearly everyone to let them know to stay away.

Santana shrugged, that went without saying, "I'm also here to work out. I need to blow off some steam after a long day at work. This works, it's cheap and I get a free show."

Charlie groaned inwardly and ran a hand through her hair. "Is this your thing? Bother me until I cave and give you what you want?"

Santana shrugs, that was generally how it worked but she needed to make Charlie understand something. "I need to be one of your priorities, I don't need to be _the_ priority, not yet. I get that Harper comes first and I promise that I'm not going to butt in unless you invite me. But every other part of your life is fair game."

"This is where I work Santana—you would hate it if I just showed up at the hospital you work at."

"Considering how terribly you treat your body, I'm surprised that you haven't randomly showed up at the hospital I work at. Charlie, you're my mate. I'm not going to follow you home, but I do need to spend time with you so that I don't get sick again. This is perfect. You don't have to change your schedule and I'm getting some exercise in. It's a win for the both of us."

"You mean because you get your way, right?" Charlie shook her head. This was not adorable, it was annoying so she fought the smirk that threatened to undermine her seriousness.

Santana shrugged. "If it makes you feel better, you can come to my work anytime."

Charlie made a mental note to do just that. Santana was bluffing, she had to be and Charlie would show her exactly how it felt to be ambushed at work. "Fine—just don't get in my way." Charlie said with a shake of her head. "And don't _distract_ me either."

"So you're saying that I _distract_ you?" Santana smirked widely. Her grin only widened when Charlie rolled her eyes and turned around. "So, I vaguely remember you saying that if I wanted you in my bed all I had to do was ask—how about the—"

"Going back to my workout now Santana." Charlie smirks, grateful that Santana couldn't see her.

"Well maybe I'm going back to my workout too." Santana counters with a huff.

Charlie turns around, unable to stop herself. "In that?" She chuckles as she eyes Santana whose clothes are so tight they could be painted on. The heels definitely aren't workout friendly, but she'd practically pay to see Santana—she shakes her head to stop the pervy thoughts.

"Maybe I have my gym bag in the car." Santana retorted snidely. She definitely doesn't like it when Charlie thought she had the upper hand.

"Maybe you do." Charlie allows, arching her brow in a silent challenge. "Are you going to go get it?"

Santana frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm still evaluating my decision."

Puck stepped forward at that. He had been looking to expand the gym for a while, but hadn't really been able to justify expansion when they specialized with mostly fighters. "And what would help you make the decision?" He pressed curiously. "Like should I get some—I don't know, some girly machines and stuff?"

Santana laughed. "And stuff? Look, you'd probably be fine. You've got some decent equipment, but like some classes maybe? I could even teach one."

"Stalking 101?" Charlie asked.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Please it's hardly stalking when Quinn shoves your address at me and tells me to go bother you while she bangs Rachel."

"She did what?"

"Anyway—back to the matter at hand, I'm serious about expanding and these lunatics don't pay that great, but I want this place to be open for everyone. Omegas, alphas and even—" Puck glances at Charlie and leans in a bit so he can whisper the next part, "beta's—" Charlie growled at this interrupting him. "Charlie this is a business and I want this gym to be filled with people."

"Women. You want this place to be filled with women." Charlie points out and is rewarded with a huge grin from Puck. "Sexual harassment is still a thing Puck." Charlie reminded him.

"It's not sexual harassment if I'm _helping them_ with their workout." Puck corrects, grateful that Charlie didn't bite his head off for just mentioning that a Beta might walk through the doors of his gym. He was sure she'd still pitch a fit, but if she wasn't going to freak out now he definitely was going to let it go.

Charlie narrowed her eyes at both Santana and Puck. "Are all omegas like you two?"

"Probably." Santana shrugged and Puck nodded his agreement.

Charlie shook her head, glaring at Puck, "You are a menace." She turns to her mate, "And _you_ , don't give anyone here a heart attack."

"From my awesomeness?" Santana surmised with a smirk.

"Right, whatever you say. I'm going to go hit things again—just— _behave."_

"So it's not a good idea to mention how good a pounding—"

"Goodbye Santana," Charlie said turning around and walking back to start her work out again.

Puck looked between the two women for a moment before moving to stand by Santana. "So—" Puck tilted his head so he was looking at Santana. "You wanna tell me why you two aren't mated yet?" It was _obvious_ that Charlie liked Santana. The smiling, the growling the— _openness._ Charlie was head over heels in love with her mate, certainly enough to tease Santana back.

"She has a kid." Santana says slowly. "Oh and I'm against her doing this whole _fighting_ thing. She's killing herself over what? _Maybe_ a thousand bucks a month?"

"Well that's because Charlie decided that she wasn't going to go pro." Puck informed Santana and shrugs again. "More money, safer fights, longer off-time and sponsorship. The problem is she didn't want to spend time on the road or trying to sell the fight, at least that's the reason she gave me. But if she had gone pro, she would probably fight 3 to 4 times a year."

Santana frowned. She didn't like that one bit. But if she wasn't going to push Charlie too quickly, it probably wasn't the best idea to air every fear she has to one of Charlie's friends. She sighed, she was going to have to figure out a way to get through to her mate because she hadn't waited all this time to find Charlie just to have her taken away by her own stupidity.

* * *

 **AN: Oh hi, I haven't done this in a while, you probably thought I was a robot just posting chapters without saying things. I'm going to say this, that from the comments that I'm reading you're wondering why Charlie is so guarded or a dickwad, I'm sure some of you have figured it out. But I can see that most of you haven't. I'm going to point to something though. My stories even the most benign ones are rated M because I can't deal with all this "Trigger this, trigger that" culture. I think it's ridiculous, everyone is offended over something. This is rated mature. I'm not going to give you active warnings that there may or may not be triggering stuff in this, or what chapter it is. Mostly because that would require effort on my part and I'm far to lazy to go through 40 chapters and figure it out. Stuff happens. Enjoy, don't enjoy I've given you a warning.**

 **Edit: Offended or not, the point is this has an M rating, which means it deals with mature themes period. In the million of million of books that have been written I think it's ridiculous that an author has to explicitly tell someone what's in their book. Yes some people might be triggered by things, but if you're triggered by something that you read then on paper then there are other problems that person must deal with. I'm sorry that you need to deal with those things but again, I write with mature themes. If this was rated G or even PG-13 I might see a point in putting some warnings, but again rated M.**


	7. Chapter 7

Santana took the bone drill into her left hand and smirked behind her surgical mask. This is what she spent years studying for and it never got old, the feel of the cold tool in her hand, cutting away diseased bones and replacing them with sleek clean titanium—she was pretty sure it couldn't get better than this.

She went to work, drilling quickly to attach both the femur component and the tibial component, nodding her head lightly to the beat as her playlist sounded throughout the operating room.

"Lopez. Looks like you've got an admirer." Tina nodded up at the observation window.

Santana's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Ortho was _awesome_ and didn't get nearly enough credit by new residents wanting to learn about interesting surgeries. But this was a simple knee replacement. Finishing enough to tear her eyes off the open leg in front of her, she glanced up to see Charlie standing there behind the glass, watching with a clear grimace on her face. She smiles under her surgical mask, well this was _new_ , though perhaps she shouldn't have dared Charlie to come visit her at work. This was clearly Charlie's poorly thought out attempt to get back at her for spending all of last week bothering her at the gym. Maybe it was the whistling as Charlie had worked out. It was _definitely_ the whistling.

"Your admirer looks like she might pass out," Tina noted when Charlie swayed a bit. "Who is she? She's cute? Another one of your conquests? I thought you would mend your ways, rumor has it you've found your alpha."

Santana frowned at these words, Tina was a good surgical nurse, but she was also a nosy pain in the ass. Santana glances back at the person lying in front of her and then back at Charlie, "Well, there goes any hope I have of her going to see a doctor," Santana mutters to herself.

"What was that?" Tina asked.

Santana groaned, she might as well tell Tina right now who Charlie was, before the whole hospital was filled with rumors about how she was currently running around with someone on her alpha. "That's my alpha who has probably come to take me to lunch."

"Your alpha." She could practically feel Tina's smirk.

"Yes, so why don't you hand me the scalpel and we'll pretend my love life is not the most interesting thing to ever happen to this hospital and get back to work." Santana snapped. She really didn't need everyone all up in her business. Especially since she knew everyone was still talking about when she fainted in OR 3.

"Touchy, touchy." Tina teased, but handed over the requested item. Santana's bark was much worse than her bite and even though a lot of scrub nurses refused to work with her, Tina loved needling the surgeon. Maybe it was because she was a sadist, or maybe she just genuinely liked Santana, but either way, this was too good to pass up. "You're not feeling woozy are you?"

"Fuck you." Santana shook her head, when did Tina stop being afraid of her? She was going to have to work on that.

"I'm an omega too so while it might be fun, it probably wouldn't help you all that much." She quipped.

"I hate you." Santana groused, despite the fact that the corners of her lips tugged upward.

Tina shrugged and glanced over at the open wound, starting to get the dermabond ready since they were nearing the end. Santana usually preferred that method over the staples used by other surgeons to give it a cleaner appearance once it was healed. It was one of the reasons she liked working with Santana, some of the older Ortho surgeons didn't care at all about appearance, but she tried to make sure that her flawless work healed flawlessly as well.

Santana took the items without a word, quickly finishing the surgery. It might not be _saving_ a life, but it was surely enhancing a life. She glances up and bites the inside of her lip to stop from smiling even though Charlie couldn't tell under her mask.

~O~

Charlie frowned for a moment and tried to look nonchalant, despite the surgery that she had just witnessed. She didn't know why she had thought this was a good idea. She had _just_ wanted to get under Santana's skin as much as Santana showing up at the gym distracted her. Of course she didn't _want_ to distract Santana while she was cutting into someone. 'Oops' was not something you wanted a surgeon to say while you were on the operating table. Plus she was getting some pretty strange looks from all the nurses and doctors, and it made her feel uncomfortable. Like she was a foreign invader who didn't belong.

"So since we're still playing that game where I ask you to lose your pants and we _fuck_ until I can't feel my legs anymore and you can't get up, and you give me some silly excuse. I've got some time to kill before I'm in surgery so how about we go to my place and we do just that. You don't have a valid excuse this time? The way you say no you're going to give me a complex."

"As if I could give _you_ , the kickass surgeon a complex." Charlie rolled her eyes.

Santana smirked. "I am outstanding, aren't I?"

"And humble too." Charlie quipped.

Santana shook her head, "I admit, I'm shocked to see you here. I thought you had a weird aversion to hospitals and needles."

Charlie grimaced, trying not to think of the sight of Santana elbow deep inside another person. "No, I'm—" she inhales, "I'm fine."

Santana eyes Charlie carefully, she still looked a bit green. "Sure you are," she pats Charlie's arm in a patronizing way causing the alpha to give her a look. She can't help but smirk, "Do you need to sit down before you pass out?"

"I'm fine, I just came to show you how weird it is for me to show up at your work." Charlie explains crossing her arms over her chest.

"Right that's the _only_ reason you came to see me. It's not weird, people were beginning to think that you did not exist. Now that they see you, they'll probably leave me alone." Santana turned to look at some of the nurses checking Charlie out as they walked by and let out an annoyed huff. "I don't see why you're so annoyed that I go to the gym you go to."

"Because I'm at work! I need to concentrate, so later I can get paid well. You don't see me coming here and distracting you while you work."

"Well, no offense but it's sort of different. I've got someone's life on the table—you don't."

Charlie frowned, scratching her arm in a nervous tick. This was not going how she intended. Worse yet, Santana had managed to hone in on the one thing that Charlie knew herself. Santana was successful and probably makes a truckload of money. It unnerved her a little. Alphas were supposed to provide for their omega, not be some loser who was stretching money to survive paycheck to paycheck. "Right, well maybe I should go."

Santana furrowed her brow. "You're leaving? But you came all this way, at least let me take you to lunch."

"I should get back—" Charlie shook her head.

Santana reached out, grabbing her wrist, "I know a place, nearby. It's perfect you can eat and then go back to work. Nutrition is important especially when all you eat is Mac and Cheese."

"There's nothing wrong with Mac and Cheese. Harper loves that stuff."

"No she doesn't, she just knows it's the only thing you can make decently," Santana informs her watching as Charlie's face falls at this news. Santana stops and winces she's made another error when it came to Harper. "I'm just teasing—"

"I know. I know you are, anyway I've got to get back to punching people, and I need to do some shopping for groceries." Charlie says pulling her arm free. "Enjoy saving people's lives, or whatever."

"Charlie—wait, are you mad?"

"No." Charlie bit with just a little too much venom to be believable. She sighed, it's not Santana's fault that she's a successful surgeon who has it all together. Charlie was just kidding herself if she thought that they could actually make this work. "No, I just—I really should go."

"Stop. I made you mad. Will you at least fucking tell me what I did wrong?" Santana frowned, feeling her own surge of annoyance. How was she supposed to avoid these pitfalls without their bond? Charlie absolutely refused to mate with her. They hadn't even done anything together, let alone kissed or held hands. If she had wanted to be with an uptight beta then there was always that option. Charlie was making it impossible, and she was personally tempted to just let Charlie come and go whenever was necessary, so she could keep herself healthy. Whatever this thing they had was, it was complicated and annoying and it was supposed to be easy.

"You didn't do anything wrong, I'm just being weird," Charlie says pulling away from Santana. "Enjoy your day—"

"You know this would be easier if we just mated. I wouldn't offend you nearly as much if you just did what you're supposed to and we got it over with."

"And on that romantic note, I really should go."

"Charlie." Santana groaned.

"No. Next time? Maybe admitting that you think my job isn't as important as yours doesn't exactly help me 'get it up'." She shook her head. "Whatever. I'm just being weird. Have a nice day and I'll see you later."

Santana frowns watching as Charlie walks away before her retort finally comes to her. "Being passive aggressive isn't a turn on either!" She calls out but Charlie doesn't turn around instead she just keeps walking. " _Fuck_."

* * *

Santana jammed her finger down on the doorbell, trying the doorknob again for good measure only to find it locked. Who the hell locks their front door? She fumes silently to herself and pushes the button even harder.

" _What_?" Quinn practically shouts as she flings the door open. Already prepared for what was on the other side. She _thought_ that after Santana's illness Charlie and her would finally find a way to make it work without getting her involved, but here Santana was, ringing her doorbell like a maniac. Their relationship worked when they saw each other once a week. This was far more than once a week and it was driving her crazy. "What?" Quinn hisses again at Santana who shoves her aside and storms into her house.

"She's so fucking frustrating. Why the hell is she so goddamn fucking frustrating?"

"Beth, go upstairs." Rachel ushered their daughter upstairs quickly from where she had been doing homework at the kitchen table.

But Santana continued as if she hadn't been interrupted. "Like seriously? I'd say she's a fucking virgin, but you know—she's got a kid. So I know she's at least spilled her load _somewhere_ , but what the fuck is her problem?"

"Yeah, Santana, come right in." Quinn rolled her eyes to herself, muttering sarcastically, "Why don't you say every curse word you know in front of my seven year old? I'd _love_ to talk about my twin's sex life."

"It's like she doesn't even _want_ to mate." Santana was aware that her voice sounded too much like a whine to be respectable but she just didn't care. This was absolutely infuriating. "Do you have any idea how _humiliating_ this is for me? I mean here I am _obsessing_ over someone who should be all over me! Who should be willing to get naked the moment I walk into the room."

Rachel glanced at Quinn, "She's your best friend."

" _Our best_ friend!" Quinn reminded her, she wasn't going to deal with Santana on her own. Rachel was her mate and they were supposed to do this type of shit together.

Rachel groans, Santana only became _their_ friend when she was in one of these moods, "Santana, you knew things weren't going to be easy—"

"No, this isn't about her kid. This is about your _sister-in-law_ not wanting to have sex with me, not wanting to mate with me. How the hell am I supposed to know what she's thinking without the bond? We're not betas, she's supposed to _want_ to mate with me." Santana snaps at Rachel. "Now she's pissed off at me, did you know how passive aggressive she is? She's an alpha. She's supposed to be in your face about it."

"None of us ever said that Charlie was a _normal_ alpha." Rachel reminded, fighting her own grin. The more she thought about it maybe she and Charlie were made for each other. Santana was definitely not the typical omega either.

"How do I get her to have sex with me it's been nearly five months? Is there some sort of kink she's into? Do I need to like have her come over and I don't know drop my towel?" Santana stared at Quinn. "Give me something."

"You want me to tell you how to sleep with my sister." Quinn quirked her brow. There was nothing that creeped her out more than thinking about her sister's sex life.

"Yes." Santana wasn't above begging now. She wasn't quite used to not having sex and now that she had found her alpha, she knew no one _but_ Charlie was going to be able to get her off. "Come on, there has to be something."

Quinn frowned not quite knowing what to tell Santana, it shouldn't be this difficult. Before Charlie had dropped out, there had been a string of casual one-night stands. She imagined that it had only stopped after Harper was born. But if it got Santana off her back then she'd do her best, "I don't know, why don't you just give her a blow job?"

Santana pulled a face from one too many stories of hearing Quinn sing Rachel's praises. "Not everyone was born without a gag reflex."

Rachel blushed but changed the subject. "Why is she mad at you?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "What did you do?"

"Tweedle-dumb told me to go bother her at the gym, so I _did_."

Quinn held up her hands defensively when Rachel turned to look at her. "I stand by my decision, you were in heat and it was my lunch break and she wouldn't leave. You were my top priority."

"So I joined her gym, you know so I can work out, and it's insanely cheap. True I mostly go and watch her workout because you know it's sexy as hell, but she complains that I'm distracting her. So she comes to the hospital today to prove some point. I pointed out that it's not the same thing, because if I make a mistake then someone could die, and she got upset."

"Because you implied that her job wasn't important and didn't require the right amount of concentration?" Rachel pressed and Santana crinkled her nose.

"When you say it like that—that's not what I meant."

"But you're not bonded, so she didn't _know_ that." Rachel pointed out.

"Well whose fault is that?" Santana gripes. She pauses and looks at Quinn. "You should ask her if she can still get it up."

Quinn grimaced, "No."

"Fine then ask her why she won't have sex with me. It's got to be _something_ , and no she can't use Harper as an excuse."

" _No_."

"Well then what good are you?" Santana grumbled and looked over at Rachel. "Make her help me. We're omega's we've got to stick together."

"Make her help you?" Rachel repeats slowly.

"Yeah promise to do that thing that she likes that you only let her do when you're in—"

"Santana!" Quinn snaps at her turning a bright red when Rachel looks at her. "Ignore her—that's what I do most of the time."

"It couldn't hurt to ask Charlie?" Rachel says with a shake of her head. Santana wasn't going to leave them alone until she got something. Charlie would probably just hang up on Quinn anyway, and at least they could say that they had tried.

"Ugh—fine." Quinn said grabbing her phone from the counter and dialing her twin. Of all the awkward conversations she needed to have with Charlie this happened to be the worst.

Charlie didn't answer the first time she called, which was weird. So Quinn pushed the contact again and kept on doing it until Charlie picked up. " _What_?"

"Where have you been?" Quinn inquired before she could stop herself. Normally Charlie was always available by phone for some neurotic reason that Quinn had never actually bothered to pay attention to. Something about being available in case Harper needed her, probably.

"I was taking a nap."

Quinn shook her head, trying to get back on topic. "You need to have sex with Santana so she'll leave me alone."

"She _told_ you about that."

"Did you tell her not to? You haven't mated so how else is she supposed to know what you want from her?" Quinn retorted.

"Great Quinn, _thank you_ for making this even worse." Santana grumbled. She called loudly at the phone, "This wasn't my idea Charlie."

"Sure it wasn't." Charlie grumbled, but Rachel could detect that Charlie was probably hiding a smile. Quinn sounded the same way when she thought something was funny but didn't want anyone to know. Interesting.

"So sex. You know, when you put your dick into her vagina and move it all around." Quinn gestured with her hand even though Charlie couldn't see her. "Do that."

All three of the other women fell silent. "Seriously?" Santana snorted after a moment. "If that's your technique then I'm surprised you only have one kid."

Rachel put her hand reassuringly on Quinn's arm when her mate turns a bright red. She could already tell how painful this conversation was for her but she was doing it anyway. "Despite that rather— _awkward_ description, I _assure_ you that Quinn is a fantastic lover."

"Look," Quinn said briskly, wanting to change the subject and cut to the chase. "I'm doing you both a favor, I know you're weird and Santana is well Santana—"

" _Hey_."

Quinn ignored her, "But mating is more than just sex, you know this. It's about having someone by your side for the rest of your life, who knows every part of you in this way that is simply indescribable. You're never alone. It's just something that you need to experience Charlie because when you do—you'll never want it to end." Charlie didn't answer and for a moment Quinn was sure she had managed to convince her.

"I know this, but why is everyone under the opinion that I want someone to know every part of me. I don't want that. I'm sorry but I don't, I know you think I do, but honestly I don't want to mate with anyone. So if that's all Quinn. I'm going to let you go back to putting your dick in Rachel and flopping around a bit." Charlie said before hanging up, and tossing her phone onto her coffee table. Hoping for once that Santana listened to her words and moved on or did whatever it was that she needed to do.


	8. Chapter 8

Santana was fuming. How _dare_ Charlie say she doesn't want a mate? _Especially_ since _she_ was Charlie's mate. This was ridiculous. She craned her neck, allowing her neck to crack and pop to relieve the tension that had built up as she knocked hard on Charlie's front door. She didn't care if they were breaking Charlie's 'rules', she had things she needed to say and Charlie was damn well going to listen. "Open up Charlie, I know you're home." She banged on the door again.

The door opened just a crack. "Charlie, open this damn door and talk to me."

"Santana?" A softer far younger voice than Charlie's called through the crack in the door.

"Hey, Harper." Santana smiled, biting down on her anger for a minute. "Is your mom home? I need to talk to her."

"She's sleeping. She said that I shouldn't wake her up unless somebody was dying." Harper explained and eyed the woman carefully. "I'm not really supposed to open the door but you're going to wake her. I don't think she's feeling very well."

Santana smiled, "Well, it's a good thing that I'm a doctor isn't it?"

Harper eyed Santana carefully, Santana had helped make her mom better before, "Okay, but you have to be quiet," she says after a moment.

Santana nods, "Of course, I didn't even know that she was sick." Santana admits, letting Harper lead her to the bedroom. She rubs her arm, this was breaking Charlie's rules in a massive way but at this point she didn't care. "How's school?"

"Okay, I guess." Harper said with a simple shrug. She didn't really like it there, and she wished that she could go to school with Beth, maybe then she'd have friends. "Did you know that my mom used to play soccer and she was _really_ good at it? My grandpa said that she was amazing, so I wanted to do it, but she said no. She didn't even look at the permission slip."

"Well, I'll talk to her, how does that sound?" Santana said with a smile and pats Harper on the shoulder as they stop in front of Charlie's bedroom door. "Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"She's got a headache, so you have to be super quiet." Harper informed her and gave her suspicious look. "Use your _inside_ voice."

"Got it, inside voice." Santana said and forced a smile onto her face. She wondered if Harper would hear her trying to suffocate Charlie. She could _probably_ get away with it. She pops open the door and looks at Harper, "Why don't you go play, if I need you, then I'll call for you okay?"

Harper continued to watch her skeptically but seemed to accept this and headed back to her room and closed the door.

Santana steeled herself before slowly opening the door. "Charlie?" She called softly, starting to wonder if this was going to be a bad idea. The lights were off, the blinds closed tightly leaving only a few slivers of light into the bedroom.

"Not so loud." Charlie groaned.

"What's wrong with you?" Santana pressed moving closer and sitting on the bed.

"Headache, go away." Charlie grumbled turning over and trying to shuffle away from Santana. She didn't even know what Santana was doing here, and her head hurt too much to deal with it at that moment.

Santana rolls her eyes, she was so fucking stubborn, it would be endearing if she wasn't such an idiot. She reaches over gently and places a hand on Charlie's forehead, it was warm, but that was to be expected. What wasn't expected was how Charlie stopped trying to scoot away from her and moved a bit closer. She rubbed Charlie's forehead slowly trying to get her to calm down. She could murder her later, when she could at least fight back.

* * *

Charlie woke up surprisingly pain-free, her gripping migraine having dissipated to a barely-there throb. She could manage that. Maybe she could even scrape together some of the money she had saved and order a pizza for dinner tonight. she glanced down at herself, shrugging when she realized she was only in a sports bra and boxers. Harper had seen her in far less and she hadn't been in a fight recently so there was no reason to hide her injuries from her daughter. She rolls out of bed and glances at the time, it's earlier than she thought it would be which meant she could still help Harper with her homework.

As soon as she opens her bedroom door she's almost struck with the delicious scent of hamburgers that has somehow infiltrated their entire house. "Mom!" Harper's head turns almost instantly at the sound of the opening door, she winces as if realizing that she was probably too loud. "Sorry. You're awake." She says much softer.

Charlie waves away the apology, "I'm feeling much better." She says instead. She knows Harper worries and it kills her that her kid doesn't have the carefree life that other kids do.

"Santana helped me with my homework and we made dinner." Harper grins proudly.

Charlie stiffens and looks over at where Santana is sitting and she stares at her. "Santana, what a surprise," she says and frowns. They had _talked_ about this. If Santana wanted to yell at her or had an issue she could show up at the gym.

"Not really," Santana says easily. "Did you really think that after what you said on the phone that I would just drop it?"

"Yes, I did," Charlie said watching as Harper ate played with the buns on her plate, she frowns at Santana and moves to place a hand on her shoulder. "We're not doing this here."

"I am so sick, of doing everything your way. I'm tired of you _never_ even trying to accommodate me. Or even acknowledge that I'm here busting my ass—butt, I've been busting my butt to get you to act like you're supposed to."

Charlie rubbed her temple with her left hand, her headache flaring up again. She could do this all she needed to do was make sure that Santana understood this. "Santana, I get it, I do. But for the last time you _don't_ actually want to mate with me. It doesn't matter if we're supposed to be together it's not something that you—"

Harper's eyes widened at this and she whipped her head towards Santana, "You're my mom's mate?" She asked in an excited tone watching as both adults froze. They had probably forgotten that she was there, which was okay it made it easier to listen to their adult conversations. "THAT'S AWESOME!"

Santana smiled at Harper after a momentary pause, "I think so," she admits and looks at Charlie, now she couldn't use Harper as an excuse and best of all it had been Charlie who had inadvertently told her.

Charlie pinched the bridge of her nose, maybe she had spoken too soon when she declared her migraine had passed. She turned to her daughter, "Why don't you go hang out in your room? Santana and I need to talk."

"About mate stuff? Is she going to move in?" Harper's mind was going about a mile a minute. This was going to be great. Now people would be nice to her mom, and they couldn't talk about her because she didn't have a mate.

"It's a little soon." Santana spoke up after half a beat, realizing that Charlie was floundering. "But your Mom is right, we need to talk. Just until dinner's ready."

Harper sighed but complied. She'd have to press her mom for the details later. "Fine." She huffed.

Charlie waited until the sound of the bedroom door closing signified that Harper wasn't about to listen in on a conversation that was not meant for young ears. "What the hell was that?"

" _That_ was me trying to help." Santana hissed. "And fuck, I _know_ you're pissed but it's getting really old having you try to make decisions for me. I'm your _mate_ and you don't just get to say that you don't _want_ to. Everybody wants to. Fuck I've met _betas_ who try to insist that they are going to find their mate, so don't spew some garbage about how that's not what you want."

"It _isn't_ , and despite what you may think, it isn't what you want either." Charlie snapped at Santana.

"Why?" Charlie frowned at this and Santana decided to press her on the issue. "Why isn't it what I want since you're oh so clear that you know what I want despite the fact that we aren't _mates_. You're an alpha, I'm an omega, we are biologically inclined to mate, and it's damn hard to argue against the biology."

Charlie groaned, "Because I'm _damaged_ , can't you see that? I'm damaged and the last person that you want to be mated with is me."

"I don't care if you have a kid, I don't care if you have a job that really needs to pay you better—scratch that, I do care but that's not why we're having this conversation. You don't get to decide what's best for me just because you're the alpha. What's best for me is _mating_. And don't you _dare_ try to hide behind the fact that you have a daughter. You heard her, she's excited that I'm your mate. At least your kid has some taste."

Charlie scowled, Santana wasn't listening to her. Everyone in this stupid world just wanted to mate, but she was damaged. Once Santana got a glimpse of what had happened—of what she was, then she'd understand. "If you want to mate then let's do it right now."

Santana rolled her eyes. Of course Charlie was stupid enough that _that_ was her solution. "With your daughter in the next room? Forgive me if that doesn't exactly put me in the mood."

'You're an omega, aren't you _always_ supposed to be in the mood?" Charlie grumbled.

Santana arched her brow, waiting for an apology that never came. Figures that she would end up with the most idiotic alpha possible.

Charlie threw up her hands, "I don't get it. You tell me for _months_ that we should mate, and when I _finally_ agree, now you don't want to? Forgive me if I get whiplash from trying to follow your demands."

"I want to mate with you because you want to be my mate, moron." Santana hissed, "But fine. You want to mate? Let's do it. How long do you need? Two minutes?"

Charlie's jaw dropped, and she growled lowly, her hand clenching tightly. She exhales slowly and pulls out her phone and dials a number on it. "Quinn, I need you and Rachel to watch Harper for tonight. Apparently Santana thinks that I'm _you_ in bed. So you need to watch my daughter for the night, We're going to do it her way and mate." Charlie listens for a moment. "Look, you want her to leave you alone remember so that's what I'm doing. It's one night." She listens for a moment before ending the call. "There, Quinn will be by to pick up Harper in an hour."

"Good!" Santana snaps back at Charlie shaking her head. This was what she wanted to be stuck to an obstinate alpha who seemed to like telling her how she felt. At least Charlie was finally moving her ass. "Where are you going?"

"To talk to my daughter? Or do I need your permission to do that as well your highness?" Charlie snaps at her. When Santana just throws her hands up she smirks and heads to Harper's room. "Harper, you're going to your Aunt's for the night."

"Are you mating with her tonight?" Harper asks immediately popping her head out the door and moving towards her mother who picks her up easily. It didn't matter how tall she got, her mom always managed to lift her up and she did like it. When her mother crinkled her nose Harper frowned, "Don't you like her? I like her mom. Plus she's a doctor, so she can fix you if you get hurt."

Charlie sighed, "I like her but she's super bossy and loud."

Harper laughed, "But we get to be a family right?"

"Yeah," Charlie said. "But not right now, we have to get used to her." Charlie explains to her daughter causing her to nod her head.

"Then she moves in with us?"

"If she wants too, then yeah." Charlie says and Harper smiles pleased. "Is this what you really want Harper? Cause if you don't then that's okay—"

"Now people won't look at you funny, and we can do a lot of stuff together as a family. Am I going to get a brother or sister soon?"

"Woah, slow down there Harper, one step at a time, you're my first priority and we need to make sure that everything is okay alright? You haven't spent that much time with her so we're going to figure it out together. But you have to be honest with me if you don't like her okay? Or she does something you don't like? I need to know immediately, don't worry you won't get into trouble or anything I just need to know, okay?"

Harper nods, "Okay."

~O~

Santana grimaced as she fell onto her back. "Fuck, your mattress is lumpy."

"Is all you do complain?" Charlie grumbled back at Santana, she was the one that insisted that this was the way to go. "We could do it on the floor if that pleases your highness," she doesn't flinch when Santana swats her.

"No, this is fine. For _now_." Santana retorts, making a mental note to buy Charlie a mattress on Amazon and have it delivered.

Charlie rolled her eyes at this comment, "Let's just get this over with so I can—" she's interrupted by Santana pressing her lips against hers kissing her hard. For a moment, Charlie is tempted to push her away and stop this madness, but it only takes her a second to get into the kiss dragging her hand up Santana's thigh and onto her hip before pushing her shirt up.

Santana arches her back, itching for Charlie's touch. Maybe Charlie wasn't absolutely terrible and awkward at this. She had to admit that she was impressed that Charlie hadn't blown her load five seconds into this foreplay. She was already wet the sniping that they had done back and forth before sending Harper to Quinn's had done something for her, and now her clit was throbbing between her legs. Begging for attention. It had been ages since someone had gotten her off, and all her late nights with Charlie and watching her mate at the gym wasn't helping the situation at all. "Come on," she can't help but taunt as she pulls away from Charlie's lips. "I thought you were an alpha, _give it to me_." Santana barks out to Charlie who growls at this.

"Last chance to back out," Charlie snaps back gripping Santana's pants and ripping them, with very little care in the world. If Santana wanted to be taken, like an omega then she would simply oblige with her wishes. Maybe it would be enough to—Santana moans loudly as she slides a finger between the fabric of her underwear and her skin and pulls on it a bit.

"I'm not going _anywhere_ ," Santana informs her bluntly before leaning up and kissing Charlie again tangling her hand in Charlie's blonde locks. She rests her head against Charlie's, "Now _shut up_ and fuck _me_ —" Charlie's movements caught her off guard as she suddenly found herself on her back and looking directly into Charlie's face. The look in her eye caught her off guard for a moment and she wasn't sure where to place it. Was it lust? Or something else. It didn't matter because Charlie was pushing her onto her stomach and positioning her on her hands and knees wordlessly. It was quick and primal and she quickly forgot about the look as Charlie gripped her underwear and yanked it down. The cool air was quickly replaced by skilled fingers, and she groaned as Charlie teased her with her fingers testing her wetness.

There was no foreplay,this wasn't about being loving or caring this was simply about mating in the purest sense of the word and her body was responding to her mate's ministrations. Charlie drags her thumb along Santana's clit once before pulling down the front of her shorts and pushing her boxers down. She runs her hand along her length once and then twice making sure that it's slick with Santana's wetness before she slowly begins to push herself into Santana. The idea of taking her roughly, pinning her to the bed and simply fucking her senseless comes to mind but this was about the mating, this was about Santana seeing how damaged she was. She lets out a groan as she finally pushes her entire length into Santana, waiting for a moment to let Santana grow accustomed to her, and trying not to get lost in the sensation of Santana's pussy clamping down on her.

Focus. She doesn't let herself get distracted when Santana moans in pleasure, even as a hunger grows from somewhere deep inside her. It's desperate, like a starved prisoner, that she has ignored for years and cries out for more. This is different than she had ever experienced and the temptation to just get lost in the moment is stronger than ever before. She begins to thrust her hips slowly, firmly guiding Santana's pace as the brunette bucks to match her.

"Fuck, Charlie." Santana cries out. Her breaths are short and shallow and she's pretty sure she would do anything just to feel like this forever.

Her dick throbs almost painfully and she knows that this is the moment. "Last chance." She warns, gritting her teeth in a vain attempt to keep herself from bonding with her mate. She's so close and she can tell Santana is just on the edge as well but neither of them will get any further until this is completed.

"Charlie, just do it." Santana is practically begging now, her breathing faster and faster as she approaches the ledge that only Charlie can push her over.

Charlie growls at the sound of her mate begging for her, and leans forward, draping her body against Santana's as she bites her hard and deeply on her left shoulder. Santana cries out as they both spill over the edge together, her hips finally slamming into Santana one last time as she orgasms. She can already feel the effects of the bond, a euphoria that starts to creep up from the bottom of her toes. For a moment she lets herself believe that this one will take. It just feels right, like all the puzzle pieces have finally been put together and she feels whole. But she _knows_ it's not going to last and tries to prepare herself for the rejection she is sure will follow. She wasn't lying when she declared that she was damaged and soon Santana's heart would be just as destroyed as her own. At least then, maybe Santana would be able to move on.

Santana groaned, this was what she had wanted, to mate with _her_ alpha. She could feel it, that closeness, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Charlie was holding her tightly, pressed against her. After searching for so long and trying everything to fill the void not being with her mate caused, this was like a dream come true. Sure she hadn't minded seeing other people, she wasn't going to wait around for her alpha to fall on her lap. But this? This was the dream and she waits for the euphoria to hit her the understanding to feel Charlie and finally just _know_ her inside and out.

And for one bright moment that's what she feels euphoria, that feeling that she's never going to be alone that she had just found her perfect match. But it's only for a moment and the euphoria is dragged away from her and she feels it. She can feel Charlie and all of a sudden, what was supposed to be a dream come true is quickly turning into a nightmare, and she can feel the tears beginning to stream down her face, as the fear takes her and she can feel it. Rough hands against her body that aren't Charlie's, digging pinching and— she immediately begins to pull away struggling to get free and push the bond off her. " _Stop_. Oh god please—" she doesn't need to finish because the feeling is gone and Charlie's off immediately and is already on the other side of the bed giving her space to curl up into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest.

The euphoria is gone, and it hits Charlie immediately that Santana had rejected the bond. She's not surprised, she wouldn't be the first person. But she was definitely going to be the last person. The weight of what had happened hitting her immediately. The person she was supposed to be with had rejected her bond. The person that she was supposed to be with knew just how damaged she was, and she was alone again with all that weight on her shoulders. It's like an albatross hanging from her neck. So instead she gets up, because touching Santana now before the effects, the _feeling_ of his hands on her, disappear will only only cause her distress.

It was the same, and it was the reason why she hadn't wanted Harper to find out, but she had been careless about it. Would Harper hate her for not being able to give her an omega? She had always wondered when the appropriate time was to tell her that she couldn't mate. That it was her fault that Mack had bailed on her. That they couldn't have been a family together. Now Harper was going to expect that she mate with Santana and that clearly wasn't going to happen. Charlie frowns and pulls out some sweatpants and a hoodie that Santana could wear to cover up and gently places them at the foot of the bed. She turns her attention back to Santana and at least she had stopped shaking, it would take a few moments more before Santana would be okay. She opens her dresser drawer and pulls out a bottle of cheap whiskey and a clean shot glass and places it on the dresser for Santana. Sometimes she needed a shot or two to get to sleep and having it nearby was handy.

Santana wipes away the warmness from her cheeks and slowly begins to move, alerting Charlie that it was okay. She turns to Charlie who pours her a shot and holds the glass out for her. "I—" words fail her as she stares at Charlie. That wasn't supposed to happen, she didn't know what had happened.

"I told you," Charlie says in a flat tone, watching as Santana takes the shot and quickly downs it, wincing at the burn that comes. "I put some clothes on the bed—you can take as long as you need." Charlie explains.

The words barely register but when she turns to look at the clothes that had been laid out for her she feels some annoyance and anger at Charlie's callousness. "You're kicking me out?"

"No, you can stay as long as you need to. I'm just saying that putting on clothes might make you feel better."

Santana stared at her, only realizing that Charlie had been through this exact scenario before. She's unsure of what to say but it suddenly explains things that she had shrugged off as Charlie being weird or different. The nightmares, Charlie's overprotectiveness. And if she thought about it the hyper sexuality that Charlie had displayed as a teenager, the aggression, and quite possibly her hatred of betas. "Why didn't you—" she bites her lip and then frowns, She knows well enough that she couldn't blame Charlie for what had just happened.

"I'm damaged, I told you that. You didn't listen." Charlie reminded her. Her tone was still flat and she poured herself a drink as well. "This was why I didn't want Harper to know. She's going to expect that tomorrow you'll be my mate. So unless you want to try again—" Santana physically recoiled at that suggestion. "I didn't think so, I need to figure out how to explain this to her."

Santana lets out a shaky breath and reaches for the hoodie slipping it on, "How does Quinn not know? How did you _hide this_ —"

"I'm an alpha, it's not the same as being an omega or even a beta. There are _expectations—_ I wasn't some child, I was a teenager—what was I going to do run to my dad? I would rather get my ass kicked, then be seen as a weak alpha. How am I supposed to protect my family if I can't even protect myself?" Charlie frowned and shook her head before continuing. "You're going to keep it that way. I'll take the blame for it not working. Just say that my migraine returned and you dragged me into the hospital. Simple and easy, you can even call Quinn to let her know. " Charlie studies Santana for a moment and reaches to touch her only to have her flinch away. She couldn't take the action personally. It had been worse for her, right after—she shakes her head a bit. "Do you want me to get you the phone?"

Santana swallowed and watched as Charlie got up and left the room which gave her a few moments to grab the sweatpants and begin to slide them on quickly, how could Charlie be so calm about this? She had been—she feels the bile rising up as Charlie comes back with a bottle of water and her purse. "This— _this_ is why you don't trust anyone?"

"Not with Harper I don't. I'm old enough and strong enough to take care of myself and in a few weeks I've been _vigilant_ with her. But, she's eight now so I'm going to start taking her to the gym with me so I can teach her how to defend herself properly. The same thing isn't going to happen to her." Charlie vows simply. She frowns after a moment, "I'm sorry."

Santana takes the bottle of water and pulls off the top, she should be the one apologizing. They had moved to fast, Charlie had obvious trust issues and she had pushed far to hard, bulldozing over walls that may have kept Charlie's sanity intact. "It's not—"

"I'm sorry that I can't be your mate Santana, I told you that I was damaged. If there was some way to free you, from being chained to me, then I would do it. But as for what to do now—I'll make sure you don't get sick again and you can do whatever it is you want. You can still mate with someone else if you want to, someone that you love. No hard feelings."

Santana nods, still numb from what she had just experienced. Charlie was saying words and she was only barely registering them. "Okay."

Charlie watches her for a moment, "Do you want me to take you home? I can grab a taxi back." The experience had been traumatic for Santana, she understood that but right now she wanted to be alone. Maybe she had hoped that the bond would stick and she hoped that the damage wasn't that bad. That he hadn't left his permanent mark on her psyche. She had been wrong.


	9. Chapter 9

Carlos threw a few bills at the taxi driver and half-ran half-stumbled into the lobby of Santana's upscale apartment. She had called him at work, which in itself was enough to alert him that something had happened. But when she had barely gotten a word out before uttering some stumbled apology and hanging up, he knew that something was very, very wrong with his baby girl. She might be a fully functioning adult, but he was first and foremost her parent.

Instinctively, and praying that it wasn't as bad as his worried mind suggested it was, he asked another doctor to cover the rest of his shift. He shifted his weight from foot to foot as he waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive at Santana's floor. He rushes to her door and knocks, only then checking to verify that it's the right one before knocking again. "Santana?" He calls, knocking continuously.

The door opens a crack, the little chain lock at the top still engaged to keep it from opening all the way. "Papi?" Her voice, scratchy and hoarse and sounding nothing like his strong confident daughter queries.

He knows instantly that she's had sex, and if his nose is as accurate as it used to be, that scent is completely Charlie. "Did you mate?" He blurts out. He immediately backtracks when his daughter's face breaks slowly and he moves to wrap her in a hug, expecting her to open the door and let him in. But the door stays open only a crack. It makes the hairs on the back of his neck stick up. Something is wrong. He sighs. "Querida, open the door and let me help." He encourages softly.

"I rejected the bond." Santana almost sobs. "I just—"

"Open the door." He tries again. "Open the door and I'll help you figure this all out."

"We tried—" She leans against the door, grateful for the protective barrier. "I couldn't do it."

"That's okay." This is killing him, a horrible pit in his stomach growing as his mind races to put the limited pieces together. "If you let me in, I can make you some breakfast and we can talk about it."

She nods to herself that makes a lot of sense. But making her hands obey is another matter entirely. She takes a deep shuddering breath and quickly unlocks the door. Almost immediately she finds her father's arms wrapped around her tightly. She immediately struggles against his grasp, it's the first time that she's done so since she was a kid, but at this moment she didn't want to be touched. He doesn't let go and eventually her body just accepts it from him, "I rejected the bond, I just—it felt wrong. I didn't know I thought it would feel good but it didn't. She said she was damaged but I didn't understand—I didn't know and I said stop and it just—it didn't stop." She blurts out, before clutching at her father seeking comfort.

A sense of horror crept into Carlos's heart, he had defended Charlie to his mate. They simply didn't know enough and he had done this to _his_ daughter. "I'll kill her," he vows immediately. There's no two ways about this. If Charlie had harmed his daughter, _raped_ her then he didn't care what the consequences were. He would kill her, maybe Maribel's concerns were valid. She had been without an omega and had become wild and unpredictable.

"No— _don't_. It's my fault—she warned me." Santana tries to explain. Her father isn't understanding her, Charlie didn't do anything, she had been the one to reject her, to leave her in that personal hell on her own. She understood her mate better than anyone and it scared her more than anything.

"No, it's not your fault Santana, listen to me it's not your fault." Carlos said trying desperately to keep his daughter together. He glances down, she's wearing Charlie's clothes, he can smell it and they're a bit too big for her. "We need to get you out of those clothes, have you had a shower—"

" _No_." Santana shook her head, pulling her arms around herself tightly. "It wasn't—it's not me. It was Charlie. I saw it. I felt it." She shuddered.

"I don't understand—are you saying it happened to Charlie?" Carlos asked still trying to figure it out. Her words were jumbled and he didn't understand what was going on.

"Yes—and I left her—I rejected the bond and she warned me and I thought—I thought I knew what was best but I couldn't handle it. I just—I _rejected_ the bond." Santana repeated, you didn't reject your bond with your mate. You accepted it fully. "I just left her."

"It's okay." Carlos assured, holding her tighter. "You need to start at the beginning, I don't understand. Did Charlie—did she hurt you?"

"No," Santana takes a shaky breath. "We tried to mate and it felt good, like really good then the bond—I saw what was in her head, and I _couldn't_. I just needed out. So I broke the bond, I needed it to stop."

"That's okay, it's okay. Everything is going to be okay." Carlos whispers to his daughter. "Let's get you cleaned up and then I'll make you some comfort food." He helps Santana up letting her lean on him. There was a reason that she hadn't called his wife and he needed to get more information before he decided that this was something that he was going to keep from her for now. Santana would eventually need an alpha's perspective on this. But for now he was going to be her father and make sure that she was okay. He knew his daughter and he knew that she would bounce back from this.

* * *

"Charlie I'm telling you _to hit the showers_." Noah said from where he was standing in front of Charlie protecting the guy on the floor who was clutching his ribs and his broken nose. "It was supposed to be _light_ sparring, you weren't supposed to go all out on him—" Noah paused when Charlie took another step forward and he immediately placed a hand on her chest pushing her back. "Dude you lost control, you need to take a step back and get it together. _Fuck_ , what the hell is wrong with you? Hit the showers."

Charlie's eyes narrowed and she immediately shoved Puck out of her way, "Don't _touch_ me, I'm fine."

"No, this isn't fine Charlie you're the opposite of fine and I'd tell you to go home and walk it off, but you have a kid at home and I'm not irresponsible. Hit the showers, call your omega, and calm down. You need to get yourself under control."

"I would never harm my daughter, the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" Charlie snapped at him, she shook her head and threw her gloves onto the ground before hopping out of the ring. Immediately people parted for her as she made her way to the locker room.

Noah rolled his eyes, he wasn't scared of her, sure in this mood Charlie could probably tear him limb from limb, but he wasn't going to back down. "Fine scare her. She's my unofficial goddaughter and I refuse to have her terrified because you've lost your shit."

Charlie frowned and kicked the door open to the locker room, she was tempted to tear the place apart. She didn't _have_ an omega. Santana was gone just like everyone else. She was alone and she would have to explain to her daughter what fucking failure she was that she couldn't even seal the deal with the person she was destined to be with. She would expect to see Santana around but that wasn't going to happen not anymore.

Puck was correct, she needed to get her emotions under control or Harper was going to be terrified of her. _Harper_. "What the fuck am I going to do about Harper?" She muttered mostly to herself, running her hand through her hair. She didn't have time to worry about herself, or think about how she was going to be alone for the rest of her life. She needed to figure out how she was going to break it to her daughter.

Harper was smart, far smarter than she had ever been and even if she bought the lie that Santana had taken her to the hospital to get scanned, she wouldn't believe further lies as to where Santana was. She would expect them to try again, and she would expect Santana to become her mate. This was not an _easy_ fix, Harper had been so excited, so filled with hope that Santana was it, that she was going to become her mother.

If there was one thing that she hated more than anything it was disappointing Harper. Which was why it might be time to be honest. To explain to Harper that she wasn't some great person, that she wasn't a hero, that she was just damaged. Broken and she would never be able to be with anyone. She would never be able to provide for Harper like she wanted to.

It wasn't as if she was unaware about the fact that her daughter wasn't well liked and was the weird one at school. It was her fault even if Harper never blamed her which made it worse. There weren't people like her not really. There were alpha's who had kids and were single because their mate had died, but there were few people like her. Alpha's who had never mated. Which made her a danger, at least in the eyes of many parents, and their shitty little kids wouldn't even get to know what a great kid her daughter was, because of the prejudices. Harper wouldn't complain she'd just say it was okay and smile and ask to do something together.

Years from now Harper would resent her. She'd find her alpha and leave and never look back. She'd be a good mate for someone, she could tell. It was just that she didn't want to drop all of her shit at Harper's feet, she was the parent she was supposed to protect Harper from all of this. But Harper had already been through much more shit than a child her age should have to endure and it was because of her.

Maybe she had been selfish when she had told her parents that adopting Harper was out of the question. That she could take care of her, and love her and protect her. For all her talk, she hadn't been able to protect her daughter. Harper wasn't _happy_ , she was miserable. How could she not be?

"I'm such a fucking failure," she mumbles finally her back hitting the locker door as she slides down and wraps her arms around her knees holding them tightly.

* * *

Carlos watched his daughter pick at her food. She had calmed down some but still hadn't told him everything. The best he could understand was that Santana's mate had been violated in the worst way. "So what are you going to do?" He inquired softly. He was still scared that any sudden movements might startle her. At least it wasn't her mate that had caused this.

Santana shrugged, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. What type of omega was she if she just abandoned Charlie to _that_?

But Carlos wasn't about to let Santana lock herself away inside her own head. "It's not your fault." He reminded her. He would keep saying it until she believed him because it was true. If anything, it was Charlie's fault for not preparing her for exactly what terrors were in store for her once the mate bond was completed, not that he'd ever say that. Whatever happened to Charlie was absolutely not her fault, but apparently the truth of it had been so horrific to cause Santana to reject the bond. _That_ wasn't either of their faults alone, either.

"It's not?" Santana scoffs with self-deprecation, "She _warned_ me that it wasn't going to work, she _told me_ and I insisted that I could handle it. But Papi, it was so—" She trailed off and fell back to her own thoughts. It was so _cold_.

He nodded like what she had said made sense even as he struggled to keep up. "You didn't _know_. The way I see it, mija, you have two options. You could leave her alone and try to find a new alpha—"

"No." Santana shook her head emphatically. She had to make this better, she had to fix this with Charlie. She couldn't leave Charlie _alone_. Not again.

"Or—" He cleared his throat, "you can help her."

Santana frowns at the thought. How can _she_ help Charlie? She's pretty sure that she just made this entire situation worse.

He chuckles at the expression, it's the same one she had when she was seven and tried to convince him that they needed a puppy, and leans forward to poke Santana's furrowed brow. His chuckle dies when she flinches at the contact and speaks up to fill the silence. "It seems as though whatever happened to Charlie, she hasn't sought any sort of treatment." He offered.

"No, she hasn't." Santana agreed. She had felt it, the longing for someone to understand, the desperation and feelings of inadequacy. How could she ask for help?

"And so it makes a little sense that she's self-destructing." He continued. "As her omega, you have the opportunity to be there for her like no one else ever has."

Santana was quiet for a moment, he was right she could do that. Even if she could help Charlie, coming back from a failed bonding attempt would be difficult if not absolutely impossible. Charlie would never want to try it again with her and she couldn't blame her. "I _hurt her_. What if she doesn't want my help or anything to do with me?"

Carlos smiled and held out his hand for his daughter, waiting patiently for her to take it. When she does he pats her hand gently. "Santana you take after your mother and if you managed to push your way in before, it might take a bit longer but she'll eventually let you back in. You just need to show her that you despite what happened you aren't going anywhere."

* * *

Harper frowned as she stepped off the school bus, she had expected to see her mom with Santana. They were supposed to be _mates_. Yet her mom was standing by herself like usual far away from all the other parents. She shifted her bag on her shoulder as she got jostled by some of the other kids before smiling at her mom and walking over. "Hey mom—"

"Harper!" Charlie said in a chipper tone. "Ready for your first lesson?" She was going to keep Harper's mind preoccupied until she caught on.

"My first lesson?" Harper repeated slowly. "What lesson?"

"I'm going to teach you how to box. It'll be fun. You get to wear gloves and you get to hit things and it really helps with the aggression." Charlie explains quickly, she places an arm on Harper's shoulder patting it.

Harper stopped walking and shook her head. "I don't _wanna_ learn how to fight. I want to play soccer like you did."

"Well that's not happening. So I've decided that you're going to learn to defend yourself. It's an important life skill," Charlie explains.

Harper made a face, Santana had promised to talk to her mother about soccer. "I don't want to learn how to fight," she repeats herself and stops forcing her mom to stop as well. "I want to play soccer, _please_. They're getting a team together and I really want to play if I'm good maybe—" she shakes her head, maybe if she was good she'd finally be popular and have a friend. "Where's Santana, she's bossy so she'll convince you to let me play—"

Charlie frowned ever so slightly and there it was, "Santana's working today. She's a surgeon so she's out there saving lives."

Harper nods, because that makes sense and she bites her lip a bit, "Can she pick me up from school one day? I mean she's your mate right? So it'll be okay?"

Charlie shifted uncomfortably. "Uh—no, she's not. I had a headache last night and she took me to the hospital and—"

"You're lying," Harper said immediately frowning at her mother. She always fiddled with her shirt when she was lying. "You promised you wouldn't lie to me, where's Santana? Why didn't you mate?"

Charlie frowns for a moment, "The truth—the truth is that I know you have your heart set on Santana but I don't think we're going to mate. It was a disaster and I don't really want to talk about it with you. At least not right now, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

"What did you do?" Harper snapped at her mother pulling away from her so she could look at her. "She could _fix you_ and she was nice and smart and really pretty and cool and—what did you do?" Harper demands and watches as her mom frowns at her tone.

Charlie frowned, "Nothing."

"She really wanted to mate with you! What did you do? You have to have done something," Harper continues, she had told everyone that her mom had found her mate. "You _have to_ mate with her. You just have to."

"Harper I _tried_. I tried and it's not going to work out. Yeah it's my fault but I'm doing the best that I can. I'm sorry, but I don't think Santana's going to be coming around here as much."

Harper's shoulders slumped down, "Why? Is it because of me?"

Charlie frowned at this and bent down so she could be eye level with her daughter, "No, it's _me_. I just—" Charlie takes a breath. "What I'm about to tell you Harper you can't repeat, and I don't even want to tell you. So you have to pinky promise that you're never going to tell anyone." Charlie holds out her pinky for her daughter who immediately wraps her pinky around hers. "I know you know that sometimes I have nightmares right?"

"Yeah but what does that have to do with mating?" Harper asked crinkling her nose.

"When I was just a bit older than you, something _really_ bad happened to me. I don't want to talk about it because it makes me upset. But it was _really_ bad, and that's why I have nightmares. When I try and mate with someone—when you will mate with someone they see you, every part of you. Including what happened to me. It's like they are there with me and it upsets them. It upsets to the point where they don't want to mate with me anymore. That's what happened with Santana. I'm sorry Harper but I don't think it's going to happen."

"Oh," Harper deflates. She doesn't really understand what her mother is talking about but she could tell that she was telling the truth. "I really liked her. I thought she was cool." Harper admits and then leans forward to hug her mom. "I'm sorry for yelling."

Charlie wraps her arms around Harper tightly, "I'm sorry for lying." Charlie admits and then stands up taking her daughter's hand. "Harper?"

Harper looks up and gives her mom a sad smile, "Yeah?"

"I really liked her too," Charlie admits and wipes her eyes quickly. She's not going to break down in front of her kid.

Harper was quiet for a moment before hugging her mom, "Okay you can teach me how to fight."

Charlie's shoulders slumped how did she get such a good kid? "Or we can go home eat the good ice cream and watch Steven Universe?"

Harper grins, "I like that idea even better."


	10. Chapter 10

Santana paused at the door to the gym, hesitating before pushing her way in. Was she really ready for this? She had debated long and hard over how to approach Charlie this time and the gym seemed like the best place. She _knew_ now and while it didn't make her feel any less horrible, it did give her insight into Charlie's protective streak. She sighed and pushed the door open, curling her lip up at the smell of sweat and body odor.

It didn't take her long to navigate the area to where Charlie was sparring with another alpha. She was surprised to see Harper watching the fight intently, ready to supply Charlie with water whenever she needed it. "Santana!" Harper squealed, despite her excitement staying exactly where her mom told her to, not noticing that she had squirted a fair amount of water directly at her mother.

Charlie winced, signaling her opponent and spitting out her mouth guard. " _Harper_. For the last time, you can't hold the bottle if you're going to squirt me."

"Santana's here!" Harper pointed in the approaching figure's direction, sheepishly putting down Charlie's lucky water bottle.

Charlie glanced over where her daughter pointed, ready to tell her that she was just imagining things when she caught sight of Santana. "Take five?" She asked hopefully. She hadn't even broken a sweat so she felt a little bad cutting their workout short.

Dave shrugged, cracking his neck. Charlie might think she was sparring but she definitely hadn't been holding back. He could use a break.

Santana waited while Charlie's sparring buddy left the ring before waving awkwardly. "Hey."

Charlie leans against the ropes, slipping a bit but catching herself as she studies Santana. There's a small part of her that wonders if Santana is real. "Hey," she finally responds, trying to keep the surprise out of her voice. She hadn't expected to see Santana for a long time. "Um, what are you doing here?"

Santana shifts a bit and holds up a bag, "I brought breakfast, I didn't think that Harper would be here—shouldn't she be at school?" Santana turned to look at Charlie's daughter who had a huge grin on her face. She had come to the gym, because she hadn't wanted to run into Harper. Charlie was already overprotective and now that she understood why, she didn't want to overstep when it came to Charlie's daughter.

"It's professional development day," Harper explains to Santana as if that explained everything. "Mom's going to take me to a natural history museum so we can look at dinosaurs." Harper looks around quickly, "Do you want to come with us?"

"Harper." Charlie says and eyes Santana, "I'm sure Santana has to go save lives or something important."

Santana frowned. She wanted to say fuck it, but she knew how important Harper's safety was to Charlie. "I actually have the day off." She flashed a reassuring smile at Charlie, "But maybe your mom and I can talk and we'll see?"

Harper frowned that Santana didn't just disagree with her mom, but that at least wasn't a no. Maybe that could even be a good sign. "See mom, I told you she'd come back."

Puck wandered over to join the group. It didn't take a genius to work out that Santana and Charlie needed to talk. "Hey Harper, want to help me whip some of these guys into shape?"

"Can I?" Harper actually looked excited at the prospect which made Charlie pull a face in disgust.

"Fine, but stay where I can see you." Charlie informed her daughter. Puck was alright, she trusted him. Not enough to babysit, despite his many offers. It wasn't because she was worried that Puck would hurt Harper, no she was worried about the things he would 'innocently' pass on to Harper. She flicks her eyes to Puck for a moment and narrows them, only letting up when he flashes her a smile. It was as good as she was going to get and she turns her attention back to Santana, "Come on let's just go talk near the locker rooms."

Santana nods, smiling encouragingly at Harper as she makes her way to the locker room.

Charlie frowns. Santana wasn't supposed to show up like this. She had actually expected that she'd never see Santana again. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk." Santana admits, shifting uncomfortably. She's never felt this awkward before, but this is a conversation that needs to happen.

Charlie's eyes narrow. "Look, I get it. We don't have to have some heart to heart for you to admit that it's too much—"

"No!" Santana interjects, "I mean, it was. I had no idea—it _was_ too much. But Charlie, I can't just—I can't forget that you're my mate or pretend that doesn't mean anything. It does."

Charlie sighs, "It doesn't matter Santana. You don't get it, we can't mate. You don't think I've _tried_. You don't think that I want to mate with someone? I can't and I can't keep getting my hopes up. I'm _damaged_ , I will always be _damaged_. I'm not angry with you, I'm not _hurt_ , it is what it is. You're free to find some other alpha to mate with. I know it's not what you want but you should have _someone_ you can depend on. Someone that can make you happy."

Santana frowned slightly, but exhaled slowly. She would need to be patient, she _understood_ , she at the very least had gotten a peek inside Charlie's mind and maybe later they could try again, and keep trying until they finally bonded. Until that time, "For as long as you've known me Charlie, when have I ever left when you wanted me to?"

Charlie sighed, "I know this may be some sort of joke to you, but this is _my_ life Santana. I already told Harper that you might not be coming around anymore and she's already been disappointed once—"

"I'm _not_ leaving you Charlie. We can try again, and we can keep trying till we get it. We're supposed to be together and I want to be bonded to you. I was serious about my plans to be a family with you. Why do you think I got you that mattress?"

"Because you like bossing me around and telling me how to live my life?" Charlie raises a brow when Santana snorts. She wasn't joking.

"Which is why we're _perfect_ for each other," Santana says smiling widely.

"Santana."

"Charlie. I mean it. I think we're perfect for each other, even if we were bonded for just a few seconds—I felt that. I felt that we were. So _please_. I want to try. I get your hesitation with Harper, hell I would be hesitant too, but I promise I'm not going anywhere."

Charlie ran a hand through her damp hair and sighed biting her lip for a moment, she didn't want Santana to leave and she was the first person who had come back and _wanted_ to stay. She closes her eyes for a moment and exhales slowly. "What do you know about dinosaurs? They have a dinosaur exhibit at the natural history museum and I don't want to embarrass myself in front of Harper. All I know about dinosaurs is what Jurassic Park taught us."

"Don't bring back dinosaurs, and if you're that stupid don't open a theme park that's open to the public?" Santana asked and then paused. "And if you do all those things, _don't_ do genetic modification to make it more lethal."

"Well that. And that they are pretty smart for you know reptiles." Charlie scratches her cheek. "Do you want to maybe come with us? I mean I'll buy you a ticket and everything, I think we have to buy tickets. I'm not sure how this works but this is where Harper wants to go. I thought she'd want to do something fun like play laser tag or you know go to an amusement park, but nope she wants to learn about dinosaurs."

It wasn't what she had planned to do today. She had thought that she would talk to Charlie and make things right but this was new. "I'd like that Charlie."

Charlie nods, "Good, good. Well I need to just finish my workout then we can go to the museum together. Um, you can sit with Harper and make sure she doesn't squirt me, or get any water on the floor. I don't want to slip."


	11. Chapter 11

Charlie turned around, balancing the food on the tray as she weaved back through the tables to where Santana and Harper were entranced in conversation. She pauses a distance away from them, they were talking about dinosaurs at a level that made her regret dropping out of high school. She bit her lip, Harper seemed to adore Santana, and for once no one was giving them strange looks, they were just a family who were at a natural history museum. She shifts a bit before heading over to Santana and her daughter and placing the food in front of them. "Food."

Harper giggles. "Mom, you sound like a caveman."

"Yep, a regular neanderthal." Santana agrees, stealing a fry from off the food tray. "Wait, were cavemen alive at the same time as dinosaurs?" She asked Harper. It hadn't taken very long for Santana to give up on pretending that she had any knowledge about dinosaurs.

Harper frowned. "I don't know." She wondered, then shook her head. "What was your favorite?"

"Probably the one that looked like a duck." Santana admits. She's never been a huge fan of museums, but even though she's more of a hands-on learner, watching Harper run from exhibit to exhibit had been adorable.

"What about you, Mom?" Harper's practically dancing in her seat.

"T-Rex," Charlie responded simply and she gets look from both her daughter and Santana. "What?"

"That's so _boring_ mom." Harper huffed.

"Yeah it's not that creative. Everyone likes the T-Rex." Santana agrees with Harper causing Charlie to wrinkle her nose.

 _Boring?_ She wasn't _boring_. "Well fine, then. What was your favorite, kid?"

"Ceratopsians, like the triceratops, _duh_." Harper grins at her mom, "You can change your answer now."

Charlie laughs, "Fine velociraptor, they're intelligent right? Pack animals? I can live with that." She flicks her eyes to Santana and pushes the tray towards her so she can start on her food.

Santana flicked her eyes to Charlie for a moment before eyeing the tray, "Still lame, how about you pick something that wasn't seen in like _every_ Jurassic Park movie."

"It's funny cause velociraptors were part of the Cretaceous period, but I don't think that Cretaceous Park sounds interesting." Harper says absentmindedly.

Charlie grins at her daughter and reaches over mussing her hair up only to dodge when Harper swats her hand away.

"Mom!" Harper says in an exasperated tone before trying to fix her hair.

"What? I can't be proud that my kid is a genius?" Charlie said with a grin. "How'd you get so smart?"

"I read a lot," Harper replied there was a note in her voice that made her mom stop smiling for a moment. "I like reading," she promises her mom.

"I know, how about we go to the bookstore after and maybe get you some new books?" Charlie offers her daughter who smiles and she turns her attention to Santana who was watching the two of them intently. She shifts uncomfortably. Harper didn't really have any friends, just her cousin who didn't even go to her school and was younger than her. "I was thinking that maybe next school year we might move so you can go to a better school. I don't want your potential wasted. It'll be a new start."

Harper blinks it's the first time that she's hearing about this and she grins, "Really? Does that mean we're moving?"

"We'll see how this year goes," Charlie says. "If I win a lot maybe we can start looking for better apartments." Charlie turns to look at Santana, "Do you know anything about the schools in your area?" Charlie asks after a moment.

Santana nodded. That had been the first thing she had done on realizing her mate had a child. She bit her lip wondering if she should try and get Charlie and Harper into her apartment, even with Charlie's raise, she wouldn't be able to afford an apartment in her area, the rent was ridiculous and she was _sure_ that the Fabray's didn't own any buildings there, though it was something that she could check. If they did and Quinn didn't tell her she'd be irritated that she hadn't gotten the friends and family discount that should totally exist. "There's a private Catholic School and a decent public elementary school in the area."

Charlie winced, she couldn't afford private school. But maybe she needed to stop being so proud and talk to her parents about helping her make sure that Harper had the best education available to her. They always talked about wanting to help her out financially more, but there was something about having her parents help her that she wasn't thrilled about. Her parents helping meant that they would have some say in her life choices and her father wasn't exactly her biggest fan. He was Harper's biggest fan though, which was the only reason she got as much free babysitting as she did from them. He loved his granddaughter far too much. "Well, we'll have to take some time to go to one of their open houses so we can make a decision— _together_."

Harper grinned this was the best day _ever_. "Will Santana be able to pick me up from my new school?"

"Harper," Charlie says with a small sigh. "Santana's a busy person—" Charlie said looking at Santana carefully. Harper wasn't Santana's responsibility.

"It's absolutely something that we can discuss," Santana offers and she can feel both Fabray's scrutinizing gazes on her. It's uncanny and sort of creepy how both their brows furrow in the exact same way. It's also a tiny bit cute.

"Mom, I ran out of ketchup," Harper said holding the little cup that was now devoid of ketchup.

Charlie blinks and nods, "Alright I'll be right back," she said with a shake of her head. Her daughter was clever and she gives them both a look before heading towards the ketchup dispenser.

Santana turns to Harper and offers her some of her ketchup, "I was a devious kid when I was your age. So before your mom gets back do you want to ask me or tell me something you don't want her knowing?"

Harper nods. "Yeah. My mom said you probably weren't coming back. She was really sad."

"I was—" Santana frowned, how to explain this to an eight year old without _actually_ explaining it, "It was different than I expected, but your mom and I will work it out. I'm sorry she was sad, that sucks."

Harper chewed the inside of her cheek, debating as to whether she should ask the real question that had been on her mind since they saw Santana again.

"Go on. You're not going to get another chance, just ask me." Santana prodded.

"Are you going to mate with my mom?" Harper asked quickly, not wanting to give Santana a chance to change her mind.

Santana studied Harper for a moment and then looked at Charlie who was busy putting the ketchup in the little cups for her daughter. "I want to mate with your mom, I just—" she immediately snaps her mouth shut. It's not her secret to tell, and she has _no_ intention of blurting it out to Harper.

"It's okay, mom said that something bad happened to her and that she doesn't like to talk about it," Harper said and reaches over to her mother's plate swiping some of her fries.

"Yeah she doesn't like to talk about it but one day I'm— _we're_ , going to get it right," she promises.

"And you'll be my new mom?" Harper asks turning to look as her mother starts making her way back to the table.

"How about I'll be your Santana?" She suggested, it seemed like a fair compromise. Charlie needed to be the one to broach the subject with Harper. She wasn't quite sure what Charlie would allow and wouldn't. Would she have the same parental rights as Charlie did when it came to Harper's well-being? Could she help in the decision making process? There was just so much to discuss and it was a complicated issue. Maybe she should get some parenting books, just in case. "It's not that I don't want to be, but part of the reason things with your mom are complicated is because we tried to make things go faster than they needed to. I definitely don't want to make the same mistake with you."

"Okay." Harper agrees, just as Charlie makes her way back to the table.

"Your condiments." She presents with an exaggerated flourish.

Harper smiled as her mom handed her a few more cups of ketchup, "Thanks mom."

"Were you talking about me behind my back?" Charlie asks an amused smile on her face. "Plotting my demise?"

"No," Harper says with a laugh. "Stop being weird mom," she shakes her head as Charlie gasps.

"So now I'm the weird one?" Charlie says crossing her arms over her chest. "No dessert for you then."

Harper's jaw dropped, and she turns to Santana, "Santana," she whines. "Do something!"

Santana laughs and steals some more of Charlie's fries. "Well we'll just help ourselves to her fries then won't we?"

* * *

She was so busy the rest of that week, she almost forgot about her standard lunch date with her least favorite Fabray. So it was only when her phone buzzed a reminder that it was Sunday that she swore and finished up the research notes she was working on and grabbed her phone and wallet and was grateful to see that Quinn was still waiting for her when she strolled into the diner barely late at all. The gratitude was short-lived though, when she saw that Quinn was not alone.

She sighed and flumped into the booth across from the lovey-dovey couple, "Why'd you have to bring the hobbit?"

"Hello to you too, Santana." Rachel smiled warmly. "I see you aren't any more punctual than you used to be."

"You're half an hour late." Quinn reminds her, not looking up from the menu that she really should have memorized by now. "So you don't even get to complain."

"Oh don't pretend like you didn't take the chance to fuck your mate in the bathroom." Santana shook her head. "You probably didn't even miss me."

Rachel blushed, she knew she should have told Quinn to wait. She wasn't even in heat right now, but she always had a little flair for exhibitionism. "Speaking of mates, you clearly haven't bonded yet." She noted. She could smell it as soon as Santana walked in. "What are you waiting for?"

"None of your business, Thumbelina." Santana snapped defensively, a little more bite than she meant to. It was almost a reflex, the threat to Charlie's confidence made her blood start to boil.

Quinn arched her brow. Maybe Rachel was right. Maybe Charlie actually _couldn't_ find a better mate than Santana. She knew her best friend, and she _knew_ when Santana was hiding something from her. "So, I'll have to cancel the champagne then," she said with a sigh. "What did she do now?"

Santana rolled her eyes, "What makes you thinks _she_ did anything?"

"Well the alternative is that you did something," Quinn responds with a shake of her head. "But as much as I love my sister, she does have a way of _sinking_ the good things in her life. It's been that way since we were teenagers. Our relationship, how she treats most omega's. Even Harper is dealing with the negative consequences of Charlie's decisions."

"Quinn," Rachel admonishes frowning when she notices the defensive look in Santana's eyes. They were going to start arguing publicly again.

"Charlie is—"

"I'm not saying that she's a terrible mother, I'm saying that her refusal to mate in general, to give Harper a chance at a normal family. Beth tells me that she doesn't really have that many friends at school, and it's probably because she's bullied." Quinn said with a sigh. "She absolutely refuses to let our parents, or even Rachel and myself help her with Harper. Except when she needs free babysitting." Quinn said with a roll of her eyes.

Santana slapped her hand down on the table, startling her two lunch mates. "Charlie is doing the best she can, so I don't _ever_ want to hear your judgey comments about Harper. If people are assholes to her, it's because they're _idiots_ , not because of anything Charlie or Harper has done. And, for your information she didn't _do_ anything. It was me. I stopped it."

"You?" Quinn furrowed her brow in confusion. That didn't make any sense, she had to be lying. "You've been trying to find your alpha since the beginning of time. Why would you—?"

"Again, it's none of your business Tweedledum. But it _wasn't_ Charlie's fault. She is giving me another shot, but we're taking it _slow_. And unless there are more comments from the peanut gallery, I've only got another twenty minutes before I should get back. Is your stupidity going to ruin my lunch now? I'd like to know. Sometimes you give me indigestion."

Rachel immediately placed her hand on Quinn's arm, to soothe her, studying Santana carefully. "Santana you're not the only one that cares about Charlie. If there's something going on that you need to tell us, or a problem that we can help you fix then we'd gladly help. There's no need for such— _harsh_ words." She glanced over at Quinn for a moment and then back at Santana. The way that she was rushing to Charlie's defense it was almost as if they _had_ bonded but Santana didn't smell different.

"Again, _we're_ figuring it out," Santana grumbles quietly, they would press and keep on asking questions if she didn't calm down, and Quinn when she wanted to be was infuriatingly perceptive.

"Santana, what happened between you and my sister?" Quinn said crossing her arms over her chest. "It's been nearly two weeks and Charlie hasn't begged and bartered for babysitting." She scratched her cheek and swept a scrutinizing gaze over Santana for a long moment.

"I'm serious Quinn, drop it. We'll mate when we're ready for it and not a second before. Now, I'm going to go since you and Rachel here have ruined my lunch." Santana said sitting up and shaking her head. This had been a gigantic waste of time.

Quinn frowned as she had a moment of clarity. "You _mated_ with her didn't you? The two of you _mated_ but why—you broke the bond—why would you do something like that?" Quinn asked frowning, it all made sense but Santana didn't seem to want to dignify her with an answer. "Santana—"

"Quinn, we're not going to get answers from her," Rachel said in a soothing tone. "Perhaps we can ask Charlie."

"You will _not_ ask Charlie." Santana spat venomously, throwing her napkin down and practically jumping out of the booth. "This is her business and _mine_. So butt the hell out and leave her alone."

But Quinn wasn't done theorizing. "Omega's only break the bond if there's—fuck, did she—"

"No. Stop that idiotic train of thought right now. Like I said, _I_ wasn't ready. Charlie and I are figuring it out _together_ and you're an asshole. Thanks for the ulcer." She spun on her heel and stalked out of the door not even bothering to glance behind her. All she could do is hope that Quinn would be smart enough to leave well enough alone.


	12. Chapter 12

"Okay Beth, you remember the drill?" Quinn asked, holding the elevator door open for her daughter.

Her daughter, brilliantly devious as only the child of herself and Rachel could be, nodded. "Play with Harper and find out what's going on with Charlie and Santana."

"And have fun." Quinn added as an afterthought. She wasn't an _asshole_ , she just really needed to figure out what was going on. Santana was shutting her out and Charlie wouldn't tell her anything. She had to do something.

Beth grinned. "I'll have more fun once I get my new iPhone." She looked at her mom pointedly. She liked her cousin, she was just _much_ better at keeping secrets if she had some motivation.

Quinn shook her head, this was probably in the Bad Parenting 101 handbook, but Santana had stopped answering her texts and she didn't know what else to do. "And if your mom asks?"

"Grandpa got it for me, for getting an A in class," Beth says with a pleased smile.

Quinn glanced around for a moment, "That's my girl," Quinn smiles as they approach Charlie's door. She's about to knock on the door when she pauses and steps back and pushes her daughter in front of her. Charlie might be irritated and she was far too old to be getting into fights with her. She really needed to rethink this parenting thing, because using your kid as a shield was a bit much even for her. She was about to take a step in front of Beth when the door swings open and Charlie pokes her head out.

"Quinn, my only niece which makes you my favorite," Charlie says holding up her hand for Beth to give her a high five. She glanced at her sister for a moment and then raised a brow. Beth was here to make sure that she didn't kick Quinn's ass. "Harper's reading in her room."

Beth grinned and slipped past her aunt glad at least that she got to play with Harper today.

Charlie waited until Beth was out of earshot. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't I show up at my favorite twin's home unannounced?" Quinn shrugged like this was a regular occurrence. Maybe if she acted like it was, Charlie had enough brain damage that she would believe her.

"Bullshit. What are you up to?"

"Your daughter mentioned that the washing machine or the dryers made your clothes smell funny, I'm the property manager and I'm just finally getting around to it now," Quinn said pulling that from the memory banks.

Charlie eyed her twin for a moment, before rolling her eyes and shaking her head. "I guess it's a good thing you showed up anyway, I wanted to talk to you about moving to another area. I want to send Harper to a better school."

Quinn nods immediately slipping on her business face, she could do this and talk about business with Charlie it would make it easier to get a few answers out of her. She couldn't remember the days that Charlie had _wanted_ to talk to her. "What neighborhood were you looking at? I'll see if our parents have any openings available for you and Harper. I mean I can make some room so it's no big deal."

"I was thinking of moving into Santana's neighborhood, I got a bit of a raise so I was thinking that I could afford it." Charlie admits.

Quinn snorts, and then tries to cover that up with a cough. She didn't _mean_ to laugh. "Santana's neighborhood is impossible. What about somewhere close to Mom and Dad, I could—"

"What do you mean _impossible_?" Charlie shook her head. "I thought you were supposed to be some sort of property goddess or whatever you call yourself."

Quinn cracked her neck, apparently this wasn't about to be easy. "Santana's neighborhood is one of the most expensive in the city. I could _maybe_ find you a studio apartment, but it will cost four times what you're paying here." When Charlie's face falls she sighs. "I suppose I could ask dad to buy a property and—"

"No, none of that. I want to do this on my own. Well it doesn't have to be Santana's neighborhood, but maybe the same school district, you can work that can't you?"

"What's the budget?" Quinn asked. Santana had been bugging her about buying a building in her neighborhood for years. But the posh residential area had never held much interest to her father's investment portfolio. Maybe this could get him to change his mind.

Charlie frowned. She hated that her parents were her landlord, but it was the best she could do. "Um, maybe a thousand?" It would be stretching it a little tight, but she was pretty confident she could consistently make rent. She could start fighting more regularly again, so long as Artie continued to pay her five thousand a fight, she could fight once a week or every second week. "A thousand for now?"

Quinn frowned, "Charlie you need to be realistic, mom and dad won't mind helping you move into a better area, they've been pestering you to do that for years—" Charlie gave her a look and she sighed. "If you want to move into Santana's neighborhood, then talk to Santana about moving in. Her place is big enough for the three of you. But I would suggest mating first." She shuddered at the idea of anyone living with Santana. Her best friend was not known for an easy going attitude. "If you can manage that." She muttered under her breath.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"It _means_ that I can't figure out what your problem is. Santana—okay, she's my best friend, yes, but she's _insane_ —"

"Watch it."

"—but she's got good qualities too. She's smart and passionate and you could do a hell of alot worse at your age. So why aren't you mated?" Quinn asked, letting the frustration into her voice. She had noticed that Charlie had immediately leapt to Santana's defense. They had most definitely mated or at the very least had sex. Charlie's reaction confirmed it. "Look, you want to take it slow for Harper's sake, I get that but we're talking about a year. In a year, you aren't thinking about moving in with Santana, you're thinking about moving closer to Santana. There's slow and there is _glacial_. Guess which one you're moving at?"

"I'm the alpha, I should be able to provide for my family. Rachel's successful and even though you work for mom and dad, you can provide for your family when Rachel's not working. I want to be a _good_ alpha like dad taught us." Charlie explained before standing up.

"Oh." Quinn mumbled and looked at her twin. She flushes in embarrassment that actually made sense. "I'll look for a place for you and see if I can get you a discount." When Charlie opens her mouth to protest she immediately places her hands up. "Not from mom and dad, I do run a successful property management company."

"Fine," Charlie sighs and tilts her head for a moment before looking at Quinn again. "I'm going to make some mac and cheese for the girls. Do you want anything?"

Quinn crinkled her nose, "Is it the chemical cheese stuff?" she asked.

"I'll get you a glass of water then."

* * *

"—and they went to the museum and looked at dinosaurs. Harper says there were even dinosaurs that could _fly_."

Quinn scratched her brow. This is what she got for sending in her seven year old. "Did she say anything about Aunt Charlie and Santana?"

"Oh." Beth nodded, as if just remembering. "Yeah. Charlie likes Santana a lot and Harper does too."

"She does?" Quinn asked hope creeping into her voice.

"Yeah," Beth said with a smile. "Harper wants to be a family."

Quinn grinned. This was better than she expected. Maybe her twin wasn't so useless after all. "So they should be mating soon, maybe we should throw them a party—"

"No. Harper said it would probably be a long time since they tried and it didn't work at first."

Quinn blinked. "What?"

Beth shrugged. "She said Charlie can't mate with people because something bad happened to her. Is that true? Can omegas do that?"

"Omegas have always had the ability to sever the bond. Only an omega can do it. It's how they protect themselves, but we're alphas we don't need—what do you mean something _bad_ happened to Charlie?"

Beth shrugged again, "Harper doesn't know, I thought you would know. I don't know what could be so bad that you wouldn't be able to mate with your omega?"

"I—" Quinn stopped, this was going into uncharted territory and she really needed to discuss this with Rachel. She wasn't quite sure herself. "I don't know," Quinn admits and pauses. She hadn't expected _this_. She had expected some gossip, to see if Charlie and Santana were arguing and being ridiculous again. "Beth, we're going to the store and I'm going to buy you an iPhone and you're going to forget what Harper told you."

Beth frowned, "Why?"

"Because hopefully I'll have a long time before you decide you're going to mate." She teased, poking her daughter playfully despite the gears in her mind turning quickly. Beth didn't need to worry about whatever was happening, but Quinn had a sickening feeling that there was far more to whatever was going on than she had ever thought.


	13. Chapter 13

Maribel eyed her mate carefully, watching as he put his phone down. He had been texting frequently with their daughter and it bothered her to some degree that Santana hadn't called her for advice. "What did she want this time?" She couldn't keep the frustration out of her voice.

Carlos smiled sympathetically. "I told you I promised her, unless you want me to betray our daughter's confidence—"

"No." She sighed. "No, I just—"

"You forget, I know exactly what you're feeling Maribel, and I _promise_ you that I wouldn't keep this from you if I thought there was any other way to help. I know she'll come to you too, but you just have to be patient."

"I don't like being patient." She huffed,

"Which is where Santana gets it from," Carlos laughed when his mate crinkled her nose at him. "Just give it time, these things do take time."

"Does it have anything to do with her good for nothing alpha?" Carlos didn't answer and she knew that she had accurately guessed what they had both been keeping from her. "Is that what this is about? Making herself— _enticing_ for her good for nothing alpha?"

"Maribel," Carlos said with a sigh. "We've talked about this."

"We didn't agree to it. When I heard the last name Fabray, I was excited. Quinn is a _wonderful_ alpha, I've seen her with Rachel and I was excited that we might _finally_ be getting some grandchildren. I wanted someone who could protect our daughter and provide for her."

"We didn't raise Santana to be protected or wait around for someone to provide for her." Carlos points out immediately. "She's always been independent, and she's never suffered idiots for long, she takes after the both of us Maribel, she is the very best of us."

"Yes and Charlie just happens to be the very worst of the Fabray's." Maribel responded callously.

"You don't _know her_."

"I know enough. I know that she _allowed_ our daughter to get sick because she refuses to do her duties as an alpha. I _know_ that she's a high school dropout. She doesn't have any job prospects and she worries our daughter with her underground fighting. Where she makes pennies putting her life on the line for what? Her illegitimate daughter?"

" _Maribel_." Carlos admonished, snapping her name. It was enough to make her flick her eyes towards him and he frowned. "Enough, you don't know the entire story and that's the reason Santana hasn't told you _anything_ about Charlie, though I know she wants to. But it's that attitude that is the problem, she doesn't want to fight you on the issue of her mate."

"They'd actually have to _mate_ before we can call them mates. Besides if she's having problems with her 'alpha' already then perhaps it's a sign that she should find another one."

Carlos frowned and scratched his head, his mate was stubborn and when her mind was made up, it was painful to get her to change it. "Santana doesn't _want_ another alpha Maribel, and you know it doesn't work like that. What if my parents had told me to find another alpha?"

"I never shirked my duties with you, I have loved and supported you from day one just as you have loved and supported me, so don't _try_ and turn this around on me."

"All I'm saying is that Santana's alpha might love and support her too. We don't _know_ the whole situation," He coughed to stop himself from saying too much. "And yes, she's made mistakes, but I'm sure our daughter hasn't made it easy on her. I'm _asking_ you to trust me and _warning_ you that if you continue to talk about our daughter's alpha like that, especially in front of Santana, she's never going to be able to ask for your advice."

Maribel frowns, refusing to admit that Carlos may have a point. Santana is her _baby_ and she hates standing by and watching her be in pain. She just wants her daughter to be loved and cherished. Is that so much to ask? But she has a sinking feeling that the time may come where she will no longer be the most important alpha in her child's life.

* * *

"You _used_ our daughter?" Rachel asked her wife, it was really the first thing that popped into her head as she frowned at Quinn. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and if only because she _knew_ Quinn couldn't lie to her, she would think this to be some ridiculous prank. Surely Quinn wasn't stupid enough to try to get involved and she _definitely_ wouldn't have used children just to quench her thirst for gossip.

" _Focus_ Rachel," Quinn responded, easily brushing away Rachel's concerns. Yes she had done it, but there were more pressing matters at hand. What did Harper mean? She's been stewing on this all day and _has_ to know. "Yes. I did. And you can beat me up about it later. But what about what Harper told Beth? I've been here wracking my mind trying to figure out _what_ she meant. What could be so bad that Charlie _can't_ mate?"

Rachel sighed. "Who knows what she meant? They are _children_ Quinn, it's entirely possible that either Harper or Beth misunderstood." She hopes that Quinn might drop it, maybe even forget about it entirely.

"Misunderstood? That they _tried_ to mate and something bad happened to my sister that she's never fucking told me about, something bad enough that made Santana reject the bond? I mean Santana practically told us the same thing." Quinn ranted. She hated this, being on the outside and not knowing how to help. Charlie was her _twin_ and if something bad had happened to her, Quinn should have been there to stop it.

"But we still don't have all the facts." Rachel sooths. "You don't know if anything even really happened. Maybe that's just what Charlie told Harper because she's a _child_."

"Exactly! So whatever it is has to be far worse than a kid should know." Quinn deduces. She curses herself for her own curiosity, but now that she knows a little she can't let this go. "I've played every conversation I've ever had with Charlie since we were teenagers and she's never hinted at something happening. She would have told me. We were together nearly every damn day for most of our lives. We did _everything_ together, well up until high school when Charlie joined a bunch of losers." Quinn bit her lip, thinking hard. "She started sneaking out to parties and stuff maybe something happened to her at one of those—"

"Well, what do you think happened?" Rachel asked. She had a horrible thought that had tugged at the back of her mind for a while. Over the years, she had noticed things about her sister-in-law that hinted to a darker past than she really wished to consider, so she had dropped it. Maybe if she had brought it up to Quinn years before, this all could have been avoided. "What could be so bad that would make Santana reject the bond?"

"She killed someone." Quinn surmised. It was the only thing that made sense to her. Charlie had started hanging out with dangerous people, and now she was an underground fighter. That rage, that violence—it had to come from somewhere.

"No." Rachel shook her head right away. Charlie wasn't capable of that, there might be all sorts of things that she had done, but murder? No. "There's no way that's right."

"What else could it be?" Quinn threw up her hands exasperatedly. "I'm not saying she's a serial killer, maybe it was an accident? Maybe she was doing drugs and someone attacked her—"

"Or _maybe_ you're just blowing this out of proportion." Rachel assured. She knew how much it cut her mate that she and Charlie had drifted apart. It was a wound that she desperately wished she could soothe, but years together had shown her that some hurts went far too deep. "You should talk to her."

"And say what? 'I bribed my daughter to find out more information about you and Santana and she told me something disturbing? I still love you even if you've murdered someone?' I'm not afraid of my twin, but I haven't fought another alpha since I was a teenager, and Charlie fights people every other week or something. Even if Charlie didn't try and kill me, Beth is the _only_ friend that Harper has, and if Harper finds out that she was bought off for a new iPhone, then it's going to ruin that friendship. I love my niece, I don't _actually_ want her to be alone. I just thought it was some gossip, I didn't mean to stumble onto that and I think that Charlie informing Harper at _all_ shows that she didn't have much of a choice in the matter."

Rachel chewed the inside of her cheek, she had her suspicions but still didn't want to give it a voice quite yet. There was such a stigma, and the last thing she wanted to do was insult her mate's twin. "Why don't you talk to your parents? Maybe they know something and haven't told you? If Charlie _did_ kill someone she probably would have told your dad right?"

"Maybe—but dad's been going on about Charlie's wasted potential for years. I know he means well and he's worried about her but if there had been something my dad would have tried to fix it for her. He did everything he could to try and straighten her out, but nothing worked. If she had killed someone he probably would have laid off her." Quinn reasons.

"What about your mother?" Rachel prods. She's trying to lead Quinn down a trail that she thinks will help her get her answers without vocalizing it herself. "Judy might know something."

"Charlie wouldn't talk to my mother—"

"No, you're right she probably wouldn't have _said_ anything to her but that doesn't mean that your mom doesn't have her suspicions." Rachel points out. Sometimes omegas just know, especially if it involved their mate or their child. "It wouldn't hurt to ask but you know your mother, the last thing Charlie needs is Judy showing up with questions."

Something about the way she said that made an alarm go off in Quinn's head. She narrows her eyes skeptically at her mate, suddenly realizing that Rachel's been oddly evasive and unwilling to form her own conclusion. "Wait, what do you think happened?"

Rachel flinches and Quinn can almost see her put on her professional persona. "I, just like _you_ , have no idea what happened." Rachel sidesteps the question expertly.

"But you have a suspicion?" Quinn watched her wife closely, years of being together allowing her to see through Rachel's defenses. "You _do_. What is it?"

Rachel nodded slowly. "I'm sure it's not anything."

"Please." Quinn begged. She's desperate and she knows that Rachel can feel that. "I just want to help."

"It's just, has she always hated betas so much?" Rachel settled on asking first. Maybe if she followed her own thought process that led to this conclusion, Quinn might come to the same idea.

"No. Some of our best friends growing up were betas. Her soccer coach was a beta. Oh—you don't think—you think she killed a beta?"

"Focus Quinn, and no. I don't." Rachel shook her head. That wouldn't even make any sense. "I don't think Charlie's killed anyone. I mean yeah there were a few close calls when she was a teenager, which is why she got expelled to begin with, but let's look at the big picture."

"The big picture? Charlie became withdrawn, stopped talking to me. Stopped hanging out we stopped doing everything together. She starts hanging out with the 'bad crowd' and then her life slowly disintegrates. She starts to sneak out and go to parties, I don't even know when this beta thing started until she puts one of them in the hospital and she won't tell us _why_ she did it—I mean then she started to come back home smelling of different omegas, and it's like she didn't care that she was sleeping around. There's nothing wrong with it, I mean but Charlie had always been interested in finding her mate and waiting for her and then she just threw it all away for some easy sex, doesn't make any sense."

Rachel swallows and takes Quinn's hand for a moment, "If Charlie wasn't an alpha, what would you think—"

"But Charlie _is_ an alpha." Quinn insisted.

"Take a step back, if you didn't know Charlie at all. If someone was just talking about another person they know, what would you think could have sent her on such a spiral?"

"You think she was _raped_?" When Rachel doesn't answer immediately, Quinn shakes her head emphatically. "No. No _way_. She's an alpha, she can't get raped."

"You _know_ that's not true. But there is a stigma against alphas as victims of sexual assault. It could be why she didn't say anything. If anything, I feel like it makes the most sense because it seems as though Charlie's been overcompensating for years, like she doesn't feel like what she thinks an alpha is supposed to be. The fighting. Sleeping around—at least, before Harper. So yes, I've had my own suspicions about what happened."

Quinn's mind reeled. It did make a sick sort of sense and she felt a pit in her stomach at the idea. But rape happened to other people. Not people she knew. Not _Charlie_. "I—need to talk to her to ask her—"

"Charlie's spent the last _decade_ avoiding this, you can't just walk up to her and ask her bluntly if something happened to her. You _know_ your twin, and what's worse is that this might actually get Harper or Santana in trouble if this _is_ indeed what happened to her." Rachel advises, shaking her head slowly. Sometimes her mate was like a bull in a china shop. She meant well, but she hadn't met a problem she couldn't fix. This was something that Charlie was going to have to figure out on her own.

"I'm her _sister_ —" Quinn protests immediately.

"Santana's her _mate_. It's _possible_ that Charlie's attempted to mate with someone before perhaps Harper's mother and the same thing happened, which is why your sister stopped making attempts years ago. Charlie _needs_ an omega and if she thinks that Santana betrayed her trust that's never going to happen. Because she's _going_ to suspect Santana, even if Santana denies that it's her." She pats Quinn's knee gingerly, hoping to soften her mate's growing unease. This whole thing is complicated, made even more so by the fact that Quinn is trying to help.

"Charlie isn't going to be mad if I know." Quinn insists, even though she knows it's a lie. She can tell Rachel knows too and continues, "If she is, she'll get over it. She needs _help_."

"Charlie doesn't _trust_ anyone and if she was beginning to trust Santana enough to try and mate, and you start asking her questions about something that happened years ago then Charlie will think that Santana betrayed her. Santana's our _friend_ , is it really such a leap to think that she would tell you things?" Rachel points out. This is Quinn's problem, sometimes she acts without thinking through the consequences.

Quinn is starting to feel slightly sick. "So what if she _did_. Charlie didn't do anything wrong! She has to know that."

"But she's been hiding this for years. _Years_ , Quinn. Just because you found out _now_ doesn't change that. Do you really want to put her through trying to make _you_ feel better? I think the best thing you can do is to pretend you don't know and allow her to deal with this the way _she_ chooses to."

"But it's _ruining_ her life!" Quinn spits.

"I swear, Quinn, if Charlie thinks that Santana told you, Charlie will _never_ accept Santana as her omega. Even if she later finds out it's because you _involved our daughter_ in your quest for information." Rachel frowned, that bothered her more than anything but she would table it for now, and have a talk with Beth about it later. She could feel Quinn's emotional turmoil. Quinn _needed_ to be soothed before she did something impulsive and stupid.

"If you know all of this why didn't you tell me ages ago?" Quinn frowned. She could have done something, she could have _helped_.

"Because I didn't think you were ready to hear it." Rachel admits flatly. "And because, it's only a suspicion."

Quinn nodded. It may only be a guess, but she had a sickening feeling they were more right than not. Now she had to decide what she was going to do with the information she had available.

* * *

Harper bit her lip a bit as she slowly unpacked her lunch from the brown paper bag, She pulled out the apple and the carrots and the sandwich and smiled noticing that her mom had made her a Dorito grilled cheese sandwich. She grins, it's a rare treat indeed and she opens the container, immediately grabbing one of her two juice-boxes. She glanced around the classroom and sighed, watching as other people swapped lunches and chatted with their friends. She likes learning, but she hates the feeling she gets at school when she has to sit by herself at lunch or when the other kids don't let her play with them.

She frowns when one of her juice boxes is swiped by Gabriella Lund, who was the _worst_ person in the world. She didn't understand why her mom insisted that she be nice to everyone, some people definitely don't deserve it. "Hey, that's mine."

"It's _mine_ now," Gabriella says smugly and is about to put the straw in when she crinkles her nose. "Oh gross, it's one of those _weird_ things that you drink." She tossed the juice box onto her desk but it tipped over and landed on the ground.

Harper swallowed and resisted the urge to bend down and pick it up right away, instead her hands balled into little fists. "Leave me alone," she mumbled softly. She doesn't like having to stick up for herself, especially when no one is willing to agree with her.

"Everyone step back," Gabriella said with a sense of faux superiority in her voice as she made a huge display of acting like she was scared. "Or Harper might get angry and start acting like her dangerous mom."

"My mom's not _dangerous_." Harper insists and she frowns, feeling incredibly alone when no one backs her up. She's used to it by now but it doesn't make it any easier.

"That's not what _my mom_ said," Gabriella responds crossing her arms over her chest. "An unmated alpha is _dangerous._ Everyone knows that. _Duh_."

"My mom _isn't_ dangerous," Harper repeats loudly, getting frustrated. She hates it that people think that. Her mom is one of the nicest people she knows, and yeah she fights for a living but she also makes her mac and cheese and cuddles her close when she's sick. She's the best mom in the world.

"Yeah that's why she doesn't have an omega, and none of the omegas want to be with her," Gabriella retorted in a snarky tone.

"That's not _true_." Harper replied standing her ground, glad that she finally has something that she can use to prove that Gabriella is wrong. "My mom _found_ her mate. They're going to mate and we're going to be a family."

This was news to her and it caused Gabriella to pause and study Harper for a moment, who finally bent over to pick up her juice box. But Gabriella was an alpha and one of the head alphas in their class. She wasn't going to lose her favorite punching bag. "I think it's funny that you think you're going to be some happy family." She says slowly.

"We are." She insisted. Santana was fun and smart and just the type of person her mom needed. Like Santana said, they were taking it slow but they would be a family just like everybody else.

"No you're not, hate to break it to you but once your mom mates with this new omega, you're going to be given away. You think another omega would put up with a kid that's not hers?" Gabriella laughs cruelly. "They're probably just going to kick you out and make you fend for yourself. Or maybe they'll be nice and give you to an orphanage. Either way, you'll be all alone because nobody wants their mate's leftovers."

The other kids laughed and Harper felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Apparently her lack of fight made Gabriella bored and her tormenter moved away to torture someone else. Is that how it would be? She couldn't stop herself from wondering. Maybe that was why Santana didn't want to call her 'mom'. Maybe Harper had made a very bad mistake.


	14. Chapter 14

"Hey, kid." Charlie glanced over at her daughter with a frown. Harper's been unusually quiet since she came home from school and she's got a bad feeling that something is wrong. "Everything okay?"

Harper shrugged and poked at her food with a disgusted curl of her lip. Her mom was just doing this to impress _Santana_. "This is gross. I don't like it. Why couldn't we get pizza like normal?"

Santana suppressed a smile. Harper had been in a mood all night, spewing sassy comments at Charlie at every turn. It was weird, almost like turning back time and looking at herself in the mirror. She might not know what was bothering her, but Santana knew what it was like to be hurt and angry and take it out on everybody else. If only her Mami could see them now, she'd probably believe Harper was Santana's clone.

Charlie gulped down the bite of takeout. She hadn't even ordered Chinese, instead opting for some fancy restaurant where she had forked over a lot of money for this. She wanted it to be _nice_ , family dinner and then they could watch a movie and now her daughter was acting like a brat. "We didn't get pizza because we got this. If you don't like it, you can try some of my—"

"I don't want your fancy dinner." Harper sat back in her chair, folding her arms over her chest.

Charlie nods, flushing in embarrassment as Santana watched them, she didn't know why but she wanted Santana to know that she was a good parent. "I can order a pizza or I can make some mac and cheese?"

"I'm not hungry anymore." Harper grumbles and Charlie's frown deepens.

"Are you feeling okay?" She asks, reaching to see if Harper was sick. She pauses and tilts her head when Harper swats her hand away. "Harper, you haven't thrown a tantrum like this since you were two and a half."

"I'm not throwing a tantrum." Harper spits.

Charlie just arches her brow in reply.

"Fine, but if I am, maybe it's my turn to be mad." She snarked back at her mother. "Can I go now?"

Charlie sighed, glancing over at Santana who shrugged helplessly. "Sure. But if you're not eating, then no dessert."

"Whatever. I didn't want it anyway." Harper grumbled, slipping out of her chair and down the hall to her room.

"What the fuck was that?" Charlie wondered aloud once she heard the door shut. She gulped, embarrassed, "I swear she's not normally like that. Maybe a rough day at school?"

"Relax. She's eight going on fifteen. I was the same way. I can go, if you need—"

"No!" Charlie rushed to stop her, then cleared her throat, somewhat embarrassed by the outburst. "I mean, no. It's fine. I should give her some space."

Santana eyed Charlie carefully, things had shifted between them and she couldn't exactly pinpoint it. Perhaps it was because she was one of the few people who _knew_ that Charlie was finally comfortable being around her to some degree. "Are you sure?"

"Harper usually _tells_ me when something is wrong," Charlie admits. "I mean it's easier to get to the root of the problems then if she simply tells me. It was probably a rough couple of days of school. Maybe I need to go in and talk to her teachers. Harper says not to but if she's being bullied then they need to do something about it."

Santana frowned, "Haven't you seen them before now?"

"I have and Harper begged me not to go another time, apparently the bullying got worse. That's why I want to move her to a new school. A good one where the administrative staff _actually_ cares and disciplines the little shits," Charlie scratches her cheek. "I try to—you know keep my temper under control but sometimes I really just want to strangle him, fucking beta," Charlie mutters the last part.

Santana reaches over the table to touch Charlie's hand and rubs it gently, she doesn't feel the urge to start untangling that mess of emotions just yet. Charlie couldn't go through life _loathing_ every single beta, because of the actions of a few. "We could go see him together, or you can use my address to transfer Harper to a better public school tomorrow, if that's what you want."

"The school year has already started, I don't want her to fall behind, it's also easier to make friends at the beginning of the year, you know when people are still forming their little cliques."

Santana frowned. "If she's getting bullied, she's _already_ not making friends. And Harper's smart. She'll catch up."

Charlie nodded, that made sense. She knew it was worse than Harper let on and the idea of getting her away from that stupid school was incredibly enticing. "Is that legal? It's not like against the rules or something?"

Santana snorted. "Legal? Who cares? Who would get mad at us if it was, the school police? I'm a surgeon, they probably won't even bat an eye."

"I'll talk to her." Charlie agreed. "But if she says its okay, then we can talk logistics?"

"Sure." Santana agreed quickly.

Charlie smiled and ran her hand through her hair, "So, uh—" she flushes she's never been good at this to begin with.

Santana eyes her alpha fumbling and it's cute, Charlie wasn't much of a talker to begin with. Except with Harper. "Have you replaced your mattress?"

Charlie blinks and crinkles her nose, "I don't think we should try again just yet," Charlie admits after a moment. "I mean, I'm still _me_ and—"

Santana holds up her hands, "I know, I'm not ready to try again either. I want to eventually but I don't want to break the bond again. Even if I know what's coming, I'm sure there are other things that you haven't told me. I just ordered you a mattress so you can get rid of that crappy one that you have in your room and actually sleep well for once."

"Oh," Charlie mumbles, "I'll stick around tomorrow to see if it comes." This was awkward, and it felt stilted. Things were much easier when Santana _hadn't_ known. "Maybe when Harper feels better we can try another movie night?"

"We should—and maybe we should try a night where it's just the two of us. We haven't, we need to talk about things," Santana said and Charlie made a face at the idea. Her suspicions were confirmed, Charlie had made a big deal about making sure Harper was around so they _wouldn't_ talk about it.

Charlie sighed, "I don't _want_ to talk about it."

"Then we won't, we'll talk about other things. Important things, we don't have to talk about it until you want to," Santana promised. Charlie needed to start dealing with her demons, but she sure as hell wasn't do it alone.

~O~

Santana hated paperwork more than anything. It didn't even make sense that she had to make mindless notes that _no one_ would likely ever read unless she got sued, which was incredibly unlikely because she was _awesome_.

"Don't look up." Tina murmured, coming up from behind her with two coffees in hand.

Reflexively, she looked up and winced at the sight of her ex-girlfriend walking casually down the hall with another doctor.

"I said don't look!" Tina admonished. When Brittany and Santana had broken up it had been the talk of the hospital. It probably didn't help matters that most of the staff blamed Santana for the split, but it had been awkward at best.

"Is she pregnant _again_? Didn't she just come back from leave like a few months ago?" Santana whispers conspiratorially.

"They're like bunnies." Tina gossiped. Shortly after breaking things off with Santana, Brittany had found another beta.

"She always did want a bunch of kids," Santana mused mostly to herself.

"Well, don't look now but she's heading over here, which means that's my cue to leave. Here's your coffee, and if I were you, I'd inform her bluntly that you've found your alpha even if you two haven't mated for reasons you refuse to tell me. I _swear_ I won't tell anyone."

Santana rolled her eyes, "Go away," she mutters.

"Hey San."

"Hey Britt," Santana responded turning to her ex-girlfriend and forcing a smile onto her face, as she felt the taller woman's arms wrap around her and pull her into a hug. She inhaled immediately, there was always something about Brittany that had made her feel good. It was just the Brittany effect. It didn't seem to matter that Brittany was a beta. In another lifetime, if she had been born an alpha and Brittany an omega then _maybe_ things would have been different.

"You _finally_ found your alpha," Brittany says as she pulls back watching as Santana's brow furrows. She can't help but let out an easy laugh. "The rumor-mill, everyone's talking about you. Everyone's wondering why you haven't mated."

"Of course they have, because people can't mind their own business." Santana sighs and studies Brittany for a moment, she would never press her for anything she wasn't willing to give but it was those damn baby blue eyes. "It's complicated, how's the Asian?"

"You know he hates it when you call him that," Brittany admonishes but smiles. "He's fine, he's busy with the kids. You should stop by—"

"Brittany," Santana said and gave her a small smile. "We both know that even though Mike and I get on fine, we both agree that the relationship is _awkward_ at best."

Brittany huffed, they had promised to stay friends but that hadn't happened after she had met her husband. "Fine, tell me about your alpha. Is she hot? Is she good in bed?"

Santana shook her head though a small smile crossed her features, "Britt, I'm not talking about this with you."

Brittany crinkled her nose, "Oh, she's one of _those_ alphas. You know the ones that get jealous if they're omega has been with other people."

"Well that would be hypocritical, since you know her alpha has a kid," Tina muttered as she reached to get some paperwork. She pauses when both Santana and Brittany turn to her.

" _Tina—_ wait how did you know that Charlie had a kid?" Santana asked with a frown on her face. She was careful to not share her business around the hospital. She hated being fodder for everyone to talk about.

"Oh I heard you making plans a few days ago, and I put two and two together," Tina said with a shrug. "Don't worry I won't tell anyone."

"You _just_ did." Santana pointed out and groaned turning to Brittany. "Yes Charlie has a kid, and I'm sure she's aware that I've been with other people. We don't _talk_ about it and even if we did, it's none of your business."

Brittany studied Santana for a moment before smiling, "Walk me upstairs? I have patients that I need to see."

Santana rolled her eyes. She had patients _too_. After all, she was god's gift to medicine, not some shrink who worked with crazies. "I'm kind of busy. Maybe another time?"

"Are you actually busy, or are you just saying that to be obstinate?" Brittany smirked knowingly.

Santana groaned, but stood. "Fine, whatever. I need a break anyway." The last thing she needed was to be the subject of any _more_ gossip circulating the hospital halls. She had enough of that to last her a life-time. Before this mate fiasco, it was her Brittany-related disaster. Why the hell couldn't people just leave her alone?

Brittany immediately linked her arm with Santana as they headed towards the elevator, "You're dealing with a lot, if you need to see me—"

"You've seen me naked," Santana interrupted immediately. "That's not going to happen."

Brittany rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. She knew Santana well enough that _whatever_ was bothering her, if Santana needed to talk to someone about it then—

"I do have a question for you. You know since you deal with messed up people all the time." Santana says after a moment. "I know an alpha that was the victim of a sexual assault. You know how it is, they want to pretend that nothing happened, that everything is okay when it's clearly not. I mean I don't quite know what to do. Do I make her see someone like you or—" Santana trails off and glances at Brittany.

Brittany frowned, seeing through the hypothetical instantly. But she was a professional and if it helped Santana to think that she was clueless, maybe that was for the best. "It depends."

"Not exactly the answer I was hoping for."

"I believe I said that to you first, when I proposed." Brittany quipped before thinking. She winced at bringing up the uncomfortable topic. "Sorry."

"Yeah, this was probably a bad idea." Santana moved to pull away only to have Brittany hold onto her tighter.

"No. I'm sorry. I meant that as a joke and it kind of, slipped out?" Brittany shook her head. "But your friend. I'm guessing she still has a lot of unresolved feelings about this."

"No shit." Santana agreed.

"But therapy isn't for everyone. And sorry San, but as great as you are, I don't know that even _you_ could force an alpha to come talk to me if she didn't want to. And she probably won't. Rape is such a sensitive topic, but for a victim to be an alpha, there are a billion other issues. She probably feels weak, like things are out of her control, and undermined as an alpha. I've seen clinical studies where alphas associate an unhealthy level of rage on whatever social group they associate with their attacker. Like some alphas will hate all women, or men, or omegas, or betas—" She noticed Santana flinch at the last point. "A beta? Then I'm probably the _last_ person she should talk to."

"So what do I do?"

"First, I know this will be hard for you, but you'll probably have to let her be in control. Especially when it comes to things like sex, but also probably other things—"

"I never said she was _my_ alpha."

"Okay, fine." Brittany allowed. "But more than anything, you'll really want to go slow and give her a safe space where she feels like she can talk about it."

Santana was quiet for a moment before sighing, Brittany wouldn't tell anyone, she knew as much and she did need as much advice that she could muster. "I couldn't _mate_ with her, I saw it Britt. I _felt it_."

"Do you need to talk to someone? Not me—you're right, you should see someone else. I mean it was _just_ as traumatic for you as it was for her even if it never happened to you."

Santana frowned ever so slightly, "Brittany I'm _fine_. I know people say that and it's some double meaning bullshit but I really am fine."

"Good, but if you ever need to talk to someone then I know a few people I can refer you to." Brittany smiles. "I'm happy that you found her though, even with all this. You deserve to be happy and maybe our kids can be friends! And maybe, who knows—they might get married one day."

Santana groaned, "And you just made it weird." Brittany laughed as the elevator door opened. Santana glanced at her ex-girlfriend. "Thanks Brittany."

Brittany grinned and patted Santana's arm, "Don't be a stranger San, I mean it. It might not have worked out between us but that doesn't mean that we can't be friends."


	15. Chapter 15

She wasn't even supposed to see Santana today. How the hell had she gone years without meeting her mate only to run into her in the grocery store near Harper's new school? This was ridiculous. She's been around women in heat before, she shouldn't be acting like some stupid teenager, but Santana was somewhere in this store and she had to find her.

"Mom. Are you even _listening_?"

Charlie gulped. The truth of the matter was _no_ , she hadn't been listening. They were supposed to be doing something, but her mind was too fuddled with the smell of Santana's pheromones to remember. "Of course, Harper." She lied.

"No you're not." Harper crosses her arms over her chest. "You're distracted."

"Santana's here." Charlie whispers.

Harper frowned ever so slightly, she _knew_ about being in heat and stuff, but this was the first time that she was witnessing her mom be all obsessed and gross. Beth had told her that her parents got all weird when her Aunt Rachel went into heat. "Mom." Harper frowned when her mother began to push the cart farther away from her. Her mom _never_ ignored her and she didn't really like it. Gabriella Lund may be a terrible person but as far as Harper could tell she had been right. Once her mom mated with Santana they would get rid of her. "So? We came here to do some _shopping_ and you promised to take me to see a movie, we haven't done that in a while."

"Uhuh, right Harper," Charlie mumbled letting go of the cart after spotting Santana who had her back to her, she seemed to be debating over different types of chocolate covered nuts. Charlie takes a few steps towards Santana hoping to surprise her and wrap her arms around her when her mate turns holding up the bag.

"Almonds or peanuts?" Santana asks.

"Huh?" Charlie blinked stopping dead in her tracks. Her brain was absolutely foggy and she could definitely feel her arousal growing judging from the current tightness in the crotch of her jeans.

"Almonds or peanuts?" Santana repeats but Charlie just stares at her mutely. Santana smirks inwardly, it had taken all her willpower to not seek Charlie out the moment that she smelt her enter the store. She'd been in heat before but this time was different, her body hummed in response to Charlie's presence and the general throbbing had gotten worse since Charlie had entered her personal space. She sighs and holds them up and glances over at Harper who was pushing the cart. "Hey Harper. Almonds or peanuts?" Santana asked holding the bags up for Harper to look at.

Harper frowned at Santana and looked at her mom who was just standing there like she had been hypnotized or something and she scowled. "Both," Harper said and moved over so she could grab her mom's hand. "Come on mom, we've got shopping to do."

Santana looks at Charlie for a moment, and raises a brow. "I think I accidentally broke your mom, so how about I help you with the grocery shopping while your mom's brain restarts?" Santana offered watching as Harper scowled at her and took a step back. The action caused her to stop and look at Charlie for a moment but the alpha was too busy staring at her to notice her daughter's strange reaction. She had thought that Harper had _liked_ her and she didn't quite understand what had changed.

"I can get it myself," Harper said and reached for her mom again grabbing onto her arm and tugging. "Come _on_ mom, you're embarrassing yourself."

Charlie blinked and finally turned to her daughter, tearing her eyes away from Santana and the very _dirty_ images that were running through her head at this exact moment. "Harper, I think—do you mind if you go and spend time with your cousin. I—uh—I think need to go over the details with Santana about your new school and—you know—stuff?"

Harper turned to stare at her mother, " _No_ , you _promised_. You _always_ keep your promises." Harper snapped crossing her arms over her chest and staring at her mom. "I don't want to spend time with _Beth_ I want to spend time with you."

"Harper—" Charlie began though it was hard to focus when Santana brushed up against her. "Just this once?" Charlie begged.

"No. You _promised_." Harper snapped, she didn't want this to become a thing.

Santana smirked. It was fairly impressive how Harper had Charlie wrapped around her little finger. Well, at least it would be impressive if she wasn't literally buzzing with having Charlie so close to her. That was probably inappropriate to say to Charlie's kid, so she sighed instead. "Maybe it's best if I—go." It was the last thing she wanted, but Harper clearly needed time with her mom.

"No." Charlie grabbed her wrist on impulse. "Stay."

" _Mom_." Harper cried, betrayal written across her face.

Charlie turned to her daughter, "Harper, she can come to the movies with us—"

"No, she can't! You won't pay attention to the movie you'll just pay attention to _her_ ," Harper grumbles. "I just wanna watch the movie with you. You _promised_ it was a 'you and me' day and you told me that you never go back on your promises." Harper huffed.

Charlie bit her lip, for years Quinn and her parents had been warning her that Harper might form an unhealthy attachment if she didn't find an omega and mate with them, but this was ridiculous. Harper _liked_ Santana, which probably meant that she had done something again. "Okay." Charlie turns to Santana for a moment.

"Go have a nice fun time with your daughter Charlie, I need to see your sister. You know she really hates being blown off?"

"She also hates when people show up late," Charlie responds and Santana grins. "Which you know and do on purpose."

"Of _course_ I do," Santana laughs and turns to Harper. "Have fun at the movies, and in case I don't see you tomorrow before you head off to your new school, have a fun day at school. I'm sure you'll make plenty friends."

Harper nods and shoots Santana a suspicious look before turning to her mom, "We're out of bacon."

Charlie nods, "We'll get the good stuff this time. I promise, just let me say goodbye to Santana and we'll go back to shopping for supplies. We can make bacon pancakes for dinner if you want." She turned to look at Santana who had a disgusted look on her face. "They're delicious and part of a well-balanced breakfast," Charlie informs her.

"Right," Santana drawled. She shook her head, when they finally became a family the first thing she was going to do was make them a _proper_ meal that had vegetables in it. She leans forward and wraps her arms around Charlie who stiffens for a moment—well a certain part of her stiffened. She could feel it pressing against her, and her body couldn't help but buzz in anticipation. "Tomorrow after you drop off your daughter, I expect you at my apartment first thing," she informs Charlie bluntly before pulling away and looking at Harper. "Well I need to go and debate on whether I want plain vanilla, or something exciting like rocky road."

Harper was about to say something when she noticed her mom standing there with a weird look on her face while staring at Santana. Gabriela was right her _mom_ was going to replace her when a new baby came after she mated with Santana. She couldn't let that happen.

* * *

Santana stumbled out of bed, her legs nearly giving out from under her and she shivers. " _Fuck_ ," she hisses and glances back at Charlie who was sprawled out on her bed naked and sweaty after what had been three hours of intense sex. "We need food, and we've got three hours before we need to be at the bus stop for Harper." Santana informed Charlie. "So I'm going to order us some Chinese, while you lay there and get ready for me, because I'm not _done_ with you."

Charlie lets out a laugh, it felt like she had just gone a few rounds with some of the best fighters she had been in the ring with. Her back was sore from Santana's nails digging into it, scratching it. She was sure if she had a look she'd notice that Santana had drawn blood more than once. It almost made her want to try mating again. Santana was her mate, in all her years she'd never had sex like that. She could certainly understand why she had caught Quinn and Rachel naked several times before. "Well that's good, because I'm not done with you either."

Santana rolls her eyes and tosses Charlie a take-out menu so she can pick what she wants. "You're not even hard again, I think you've got to work on your stamina if you want to keep up with me, Slugger."

Charlie huffed at this remark. She would almost take offense if she didn't see Santana practically swooning. "I'll have what you're having," Charlie says and watches as Santana bends over to look for her phone. A trail of her cum leaks out of Santana and almost immediately Charlie can feel herself stirring again. This had been the most sex she'd had in _years_ and even though she was at the gym most of the time there were definitely muscles that she hadn't used in quite a while. She can't help but puff out her chest in pride as she watches more of her cum leaking out only for her smug pleased look to slowly slip off her face as she realizes that Santana was in heat. Santana was in heat and the amount of sex she had just had with Santana could quite possibly get her pregnant.

"Found it," Santana says laughing as she holds up her phone and turns to look at Charlie, who is lying there, and she can't help but smirk. "Well, see there we go—I thought I was going to have to get some food in you before you were able to _go_ again—"

"I don't want another kid right now," Charlie blurts out immediately.

Santana furrowed her brow, confused. "Okay?"

"I just—" Charlie blew out a breath, she was probably ruining this but she had to say it. "I don't know that I'll ever be ready to have another kid."

"Charlie," Santana sits down on the bed, her muscles protesting the action. "I told you, that's fine."

"How can you say that?" Charlie shook her head. "Every omega in the world dreams of starting a family with their alpha."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a little different than most omegas." Santana retorts. "But as quaint as that stereotype is, I hate to tell you but I kind of suck at the whole homemaker shit. I can barely keep a goldfish alive—trust me, I've tried. It didn't end well for anyone. But _if_ we decide to have kids, then I sure as hell hope it's not for a long time."

Charlie felt a weight lift from her chest. "I just worry about Harper. It's been hard enough on her, you know?"

Santana nodded. She _did_ know. Bonding with Charlie, as brief as it had been, still had given her more insight than she ever could have hoped for without it. "I don't know how you did it. I _definitely_ couldn't have handled being a single parent at twenty."

Charlie leaned back against the bed. "It was a disaster, trust me. When Mackenzie dropped her off with me without so much as a wave goodbye, I think I nearly had a heart attack."

"So what did you do?"

"I lasted an hour on my own. _One_ hour. Then I drove over to my parents' house and begged my mom for help. I don't like taking their charity, but I seriously couldn't have done it without them." Charlie admits. "I think that Harper was conceived when I tried to mate with her. She was in heat, and it just sort of happened. It didn't go well and she kicked me out. She didn't answer my calls or anything, I was damaged and she wanted nothing to do with me. I didn't even know that she was pregnant until she shows up later, Harper is only a month old and tells me she's found her alpha and he wants _nothing_ to do with my kid." Charlie tells her.

Santana feels her blood boil at the frank way that Charlie dismisses such a rejection. "How in the hell could she just abandon her own child?"

Charlie shrugs. "She found her _mate_ and after that, nothing else mattered."

"But _you_ could have been her mate. She just—she _knew_ and she just—" Santana trails off. She's so mad she can't even put it into words. No _wonder_ Charlie had been hesitant to mate.

"I know, but it was years ago. I wasn't her alpha—"

"But she _knew_ and she just ran away? How the fuck—"

"I'm glad she left. We were both damaged, but she gave me Harper. I mean yeah it's been rough at times, but I never thought I was going to have a kid and then I had one. I'm glad she didn't try to push her way through it, because then I'd be mated to her and I would have missed out on the chance to be with you."

Santana raised a brow and swatted Charlie's leg. "Don't be cheesy, it'll give me a heart attack," Santana said with a shake of her head. She smiles as Charlie pulls her closer and she curls up on Charlie. "Speaking of children, I don't think Harper likes me anymore."

Charlie sighs and runs a hand along the curve of Santana's back. "I don't know what's gotten into her lately. I think I did something to upset her, but she's not telling me what it is. I'm almost tempted to bring Beth over so she can get the information out of Harper."

Santana laughed, "Don't be like that. How about I take her out somewhere, just the two of us and we can talk. It has been a lot of change for her lately. I don't know maybe I just need to reassure her that I'm not out to steal you away from her."

Charlie frowned slightly and shifted a bit with Santana still on top of her. "I don't know—" Charlie begins only to have Santana press a kiss against her lips.

"I know that you're worried, but I promise you that nothing bad will happen to Harper. I like her, she reminds me of me when I was a kid. Well sometimes," Santana admits.

Charlie licked her lips slowly. It was a weird feeling for her, trusting her daughter with someone else. But the truth was, she did. She _knew_ Santana would make sure nothing happened to her. So biting back her first instinct to tell Santana that there was no way in hell she would leave the two of them alone together, she took a deep breath. "Where would you take her?"

Santana felt a surge of relief that she had managed to get this far. But she knew the more she acted like it _wasn't_ a big deal, the more Charlie might actually believe it. "Maybe to the zoo? Something educational, but fun too."

Charlie nodded. That sounded like something Harper would like. "Would this weekend work?"

"It should." Santana shrugged. She wasn't on call this weekend. "That actually seems like it would be perfect."

Charlie nods and swallows suddenly realizing that Santana was on top of her, "Food and then more sex and then shower sex and then let's go pick up Harper."

* * *

 **Author's note: So next week, we're going to have another fic popping up beside this one. Even though once again it's finished I don't really have an official title. Also, it was an experiment with genderswap. As two of the three stories I'm working on have a bent Charlie. Just you know cause I was getting a bit bored and I needed to make sure that I could write it. The fic is called Rugrats (So if you have a suggestion of a song title please throw it at me.) Um basically sort of in this same universe but Charlie's an omega and Santana's an alpha and they meet when they're toddlers. There's fluff, a lot of it is fluff till a bit later but details. Anyway, look for that next week. Also I technically have some (G!p)Quinn and Charlie with Santana smut lying around so if you _really_ want to see it also let me know. Again if you want to read the entirety of stitches it is up on my . After stitches is done, for my next story I'll probably update twice a week or maybe three times depending on my mood.**


	16. Chapter 16

Harper frowned slightly and tugged on her mom's arm as the elevator door in Santana's apartment opened up. "Mom, I _really_ _don't_ want to go."

Charlie frowns and looks at her daughter, "Look, I know you really want to watch something cool, but I already promised Santana that you two could have a day. It's super important to me that you and Santana get along. So please just give her a chance?"

Harper sighed, feeling a bit guilty. She _wanted_ to keep saying no, but she had spent most of the week with her mom, even though she constantly smelled of Santana. "Why can't you come with us?" Harper asked after a moment.

"Your aunt Quinn and I going to look at apartments." Charlie explains looking at her daughter. "I might catch up with you when we're finished."

"You promise?" Harper pleaded.

Charlie hesitated. Maybe she should have listened to her mom and Quinn. Maybe Harper had an unhealthy attachment to her and needed an omega in her life to look up to. But she had done the best she could, and doubting herself now wasn't going to help anything. "Yeah, if I finish early. But I'm sure that you and Santana will have a great time, you know making fun of me and you'll probably gets lots of snacks so you know—save me some?"

Harper sighed noisily as they approached Santana's apartment, letting her mom know that she wasn't thrilled with the plans. " _Fine_ ," she adds after a moment and frowns when her mother stops, before knocking on the door she just wanted to get this over with.

Charlie hesitated for a moment studying Harper before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Harper. I know I don't have to tell you to behave yourself and be polite. If Santana tells me that you've been rude, I'll be disappointed with you." Charlie informs her daughter. She wasn't going to let Harper get away with anything anymore. She had _enjoyed_ her new school and more importantly she had begun to make some friends. There hadn't been any parents that had told their kids to stay away from Harper because she was a single alpha, and if she was being honest with herself it was because of Santana. It was Santana's presence that had made all this possible.

"Yes mom," Harper says immediately and shifts uncomfortably under her mother's gaze. "I promise I'll behave myself."

Charlie nods, Harper wouldn't go against her word which meant that the rest was mostly in Santana's hands. She turns back to the door and knocks once, only to have the door swing open. A small smile crosses Charlies face when Santana smirks at her. "Santana," Charlie greets immediately. "You—uh—you look very pretty today." Charlie says immediately.

It had been difficult not to listen to Charlie and Harper, they had after all had most of their conversation right in front of her door. She tilts her head up so she can receive a kiss on the cheek from Charlie, who fumbles forward. "Have fun with Quinn today, show up five minutes late just for me?"

Charlie laughs at this and nods, "Okay." She doesn't move though and looks at the hand that is still placed on her daughter's shoulder. She couldn't help the protective urge that rose in her chest and she bit her lip for a moment. "Have fun Harper, when you're done with the zoo, text me. I'll join you guys for whatever you have planned okay?"

Harper crinkled her nose, "You mean food," she accuses adjusting her small purse on her shoulder. Her mom had given her money so Santana wouldn't have to pay for everything.

"Yeah, I mean food," Charlie agrees and reaches to muss up Harper's hair only to have Harper duck under her and take a few steps back scowling at her. Charlie flashes her daughter a grin before looking at Santana. "Have fun, and if anything is wrong—anything—"

"I have your number and the rest of your families number, and I know how to call emergency services. Don't worry I'm a doctor, she'll probably come back in one piece." Charlie's eyes widened and Santana smile leaning forward and kissing Charlie gently. "Everything will be okay, I promise."

Charlie nods after a moment. Santana was her mate. At some point, she was going to have to trust her. "Alright." She forces herself to give one last wave before turning around without looking back. If she looks back this is just going to be harder.

Santana waits for the elevator door to shut before turning to Harper. "So, the zoo?"

"Sure." Harper shrugged. She may not be able to be a brat to Santana, but that didn't mean she had to be excited about it.

But Santana wasn't going to move on until they cleared the air. "Or maybe you and I can talk first."

Harper looked at her skeptically. When adults usually said that, it usually meant _they_ talked. "Whatever." Harper rolled her eyes.

"Look, you seem like an intelligent kid, and I know your mom told you a little bit about what happened when we tried to mate." Santana started. Charlie was fairly certain that this was why Harper was upset and the sooner Santana could address the crux of the issue, the better. "But it's not her fault that it didn't work at first. It's mine."

"So why won't you just go the fuck away?" Harper snapped, then covered her mouth with a wince. Her mom would kill her if she heard her say that word, but she forced her hands down to her side and looked at Santana defiantly.

Santana bit her lip with a frown. Well _that_ was certainly unexpected. "I can't."

"Well you couldn't even mate with her, so _why_ can't you just leave us alone?"

"I _love_ your mom." Santana said, even though she hadn't said it to Charlie yet outside the throws of sex, she felt fairly confident that this was what Harper needed to hear. "I love everything about her and we were destined to be together. I think I deserve the best alpha in the world—who just happens to be your mom—and I _can't_ settle for somebody else. Your mom is _amazing_ and now that I've met her, I could never be with anyone else."

"Not enough to be her mate," Harper responds petulantly.

"I see how much she loves you and I really want to get along with you." Santana reiterates. "And your mom and I will mate when we're ready. Then, I hope, we have a real shot at being a family."

"Yeah, until you mate with my mom and have your _own_ kid. What will you do? Send me away like my first mom did?"

Santana freezes for a moment she had stumbled on an issue that Charlie hadn't even considered. Santana physically takes a step back. "What?" As far as she was concerned Harper's other mother wasn't part of the picture and by Charlie's own admission, Harper wasn't particularly curious about her other mom.

"You don't want to be a family with us, you want to have your own perfect family with _my_ mom." Harper spells it out for her, tears springing to her eyes. But she's strong, like her mom and she's not going to cry.

"Why does everybody assume that I'm some baby-hungry psycho bitch?" Santana muses to herself, stalling while she tries to think of the right thing to say. She's out of her depth and maybe she should have waited to try to have this conversation with Harper once Charlie had joined them and she had spent the entire day plying the kid with sugar. But she can't bear the thought of Harper thinking that such a terrible future lays in store for her once she mates with Charlie. "Do you know how hard it is to keep this figure?" She jokes, her smirk dying when Harper doesn't even smile.

Harper shrugs immediately, "Let's just go to the zoo, I'll tell my mom I had fun," she mutters. Her mom deserved to be happy and if that meant that she had to go like Gabriella said—

"Harper, your mother and I have already talked about this. We're not in a rush to have other children and your mom isn't going to send you anywhere. She's not going to abandon you. She would _never_ abandon you and I know that if this really became an issue Harper that your mom would choose you before me. She's made that abundantly clear from day one. That's how much your mom loves you. There is nothing I could say or do that would change that because you're her daughter. More importantly I don't want to change that."

"You say that _now_ but—" Harper begins but falls silent when Santana holds her hand up to speak.

"I _don't_ want to change that." Santana repeats again. "I'm not your—I'm not going to abandon you and Charlie." Harper doesn't seem to believe her and she sighs rubbing the bridge of her nose. Charlie had always been a bit particular about what Harper knew and didn't know. She never really wanted to get Harper's hopes up in case things didn't pan out and she hoped that Charlie would forgive her. "I want to adopt you when we mate, I told your mom like three days after we met."

"You did?" Harper asked wiping her face and sniffing.

Santana rooted around in her bag and handed Harper a tissue, "Yeah, you can ask her. You remind me of me when I was a kid. You're a smart kid Harper, and I know how much you love your mom and I promise that I'm not planning on taking her away from you. That's part of the reason things are going so slowly Harper, we _both_ want to make sure you're okay with this. So you're not overwhelmed by the change. I guess we haven't been doing a very good job of it."

"You wanna be my mom? Don't you want babies of your own?"

"Maybe one day, but not now," Santana responds. "Right now Harper it's really just you. I mean look at you! You're already potty-trained and you don't throw food and if I forget to feed you—well you can just go to the fridge and make yourself something." A small smile crossed Harper's face.

"Babies are weird," Harper admits and rubs her arm.

"Yes they are, they're gross too." Santana agrees. "Why did you think that I was going to send you away? Do you think about your other mom a lot?"

Harper was quiet for a moment, "Not really, but Gabriella told me that once you mated you were going to make my mom get rid of me. Just like my mom had to get rid of me, because she found her mate and he didn't want anything to do with me."

"Well this Gabriella person sounds like a bitch," Santana responds which finally brings a full smile onto Harper's face. "Secondly, if you want to talk to someone about how you feel about your first mom, then we could talk about it. I mean it'll probably be best if you let your mom know that this is how you feel so she can tell you everything that I don't quite know myself."

"Do you really want to be my mom?" Harper asks after a moment biting her lip.

"Yes, just as much as I want to mate with your mom properly." Santana answers and relaxes a bit, "I really want to be a family with you and your mom, if you let me be a part of it."

Harper shifts uncomfortably for a moment feeling a bit embarrassed, "Okay," she mumbles. "Can we go to the zoo now?"

Santana exhales pleased with herself, she had managed to handle this effectively and had gotten to the crux of the issue. She'd have to have a conversation about it with Charlie but this was good. "Yeah, we can do that. Any particular thing that you want to see?"

"Yeah, I want to see the elephants," Harper said reaching for Santana's hand and pulling her along. "Mom said that they have a new baby elephant at the zoo and I wanna see her."

Santana nodded, relaxing and letting herself be tugged along by Charlie's daughter, she would probably need to be reassured a few more times and they would probably need to deal with the fact that Harper had clearly been bullied in such a terrible way, but right now this was a step in the right direction.

* * *

Charlie wandered around the empty apartment. Maybe she should have brought Santana, because she really wasn't sure what she was supposed to looking for. Quinn wasn't exactly helping, in fact, she was acting really weird. Charlie had shown up fifteen minutes late only for Quinn to practically run at her and wrap her in a hug.

"So it was just re-painted?" Charlie clarified, she could tell that much from the fresh paint smell. Really she was just trying to ask a non-stupid question.

Quinn nods. "Good eye." She throws out the compliment with a wide smile that just makes Charlie even more confused. "Plumbing and electrical have been upgraded too."

"So what's the catch?"

"Catch? There's no catch." Quinn rushes to assure her twin. "The security in this place is something that is unmatched in any building throughout the city."

"Okay?" Charlie frowned looking around the apartment was nice. It even had it's own laundry unit so she wouldn't have to find the coins to use at a laundromat. It was _too_ nice, "How much?"

"Seventeen hundred a month." Quinn responds, causing Charlie's eyes to widen. "Before you say no, talk it over with Santana. I know that you want to be able to provide for your omega but you have to remember who you're mated to Santana is pretty independent and she's going to insist."

Charlie grumbled, "I don't know." It certainly had the space for the three of them, and it even had a spare bedroom but now she was attempting to pick a place that she wasn't sure that Santana would like. "What's the parking like in the building? And how far is it to Harper's new school? Is there a bus that runs nearby? How far is it to the hospital." It was at least a forty minute drive to her gym, but as far as she was concerned that didn't matter.

"There's a secured covered spot for the school bus, it's maybe a ten minute drive to the school. Underground parking is available and there is round the clock video surveillance as well as rotating guards. The hospital is about half-a-mile away." Quinn replied. "Most of your neighbors will probably work at the hospital so you don't have to worry about being too far out of the way."

Charlie nodded.

"And, if you ever want to talk or anything, you're just ten minutes away from Rachel and I. You can stop by anytime." Quinn added. "Whatever you need Charlie, if you need babysitting or you just want to talk—"

"Okay stop," Charlie frowned and held up her hand. "You _hate_ that I use you and Rachel for free babysitting. I mean that's never stopped me before, but you hate it. You hate me just showing up to your place, in fact you like that I'm far away cause it makes it incredibly difficult for me to just stop by. Which works both ways. I—" Charlie was silenced by Quinn wrapping her arms around her tightly. "Quinn, what are you doing?"

"I just really, _really_ , want to apologize for how I've treated you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Charlie asked, her back still straight as she tried to pull away from the hug.

"After everything you've been through, I feel like I just made everything worse and I'm sorry—"

"What do you mean 'after everything I've been through'?" Charlie narrowed her eyes and forcibly pushed her twin away.

Quinn stepped back, realizing that she may have said too much. "I just meant—"

"What?" Charlie felt her cheeks heat up with a blind rage fueled by embarrassment. "You meant what?"

"I just meant that we've drifted apart." Quinn amended, trying to keep this from getting any worse. "And I don't want to make things worse for you—"

"What the fuck did Santana say to you?"

"Santana?" Quinn gulped. Shit, she _was_ making this worse. "She didn't say anything."

Charlie didn't believe her and stumbles back panic and shame rising to the surface, "Whatever you think you know, you're fucking wrong."

Quinn frowned and moved to try and get her twin to calm down, "Charlie it's _okay_ , I don't blame you—" Quinn began only to have Charlie slap her outstretched hand away. "Charlie it's _okay_ , you don't have to hide anything from me. Maybe that's how I made you feel but you shouldn't have had to hide the fact that you were _raped_ —" A fist connected with her face knocking her back and immediately Quinn's temper flared. It was only for a moment until she noticed the panic and anger on Charlie's red face. She probably felt humiliated.

" _Shut up_!" Charlie snarls at Quinn. "I wasn't raped, you don't get to say that shit. What if someone hears? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Charlie—" Quinn said reaching out to try and calm Charlie down before she did something stupid.

Charlie smacks Quinn's hand again, "Get the fuck away from me!" How could Santana do this to her. It was supposed to be _her_ secret. No one was supposed to know and now Quinn knew? How long until her father found out and then other people—no one would ever take her seriously as an alpha again. She had thought—she had thought that Santana understood and this had happened. How long until Harper found out and lost all faith in her to protect her?

Quinn moves immediately trying to cut Charlie off from running but her twin is faster and stronger shoving her hard into a wall. She grimaces as her back collides with the wall and frowns, "Charlie— _wait_!" Quinn called out but it was too late, Charlie was in the wind. " _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._ " Quinn swore under her breath turning to grab her phone so she could call someone. Santana, she needed to get in touch with Santana and then Rachel, who was probably going to be pissed as hell at her. "Come on _pick up_." Quinn begs as it goes straight to voicemail. She really had fucked things up royally.

* * *

"Did you know that donkeys will sink in quicksand, but mules won't?" Harper asked, looking up from the informational board in front of the donkey area. They had spent a long time in front of the elephants and were now wandering around while Harper read every fact she could get her hands on.

Santana furrowed her brow. "That doesn't make any sense."

"That's what it says." Harper shrugged.

"Well did _you_ know that mules can't have babies?" Santana challenged. She might not be a national geographic aficionado, but she did like being able to stump the kid once in awhile.

Harper cocked her head to the side, perplexed. "Of course they can. How else are there more mules?"

"Nope. They don't. Mules are a hybrid of donkeys and horses. They can't have their _own_ babies, but if you cross a horse and a donkey you get a mule."

"That's weird," she crinkles her nose and looks at the board again. "Can we go to the reptile house next?" Harper asked, looking at the time. "It's nearly feeding time."

Santana shivered at the idea. " _Sure_ , sounds like fun—" Santana trails off and tilts her head. She could smell her mate from a mile away and Charlie was in the park. "But I guess your mom finished early and is here, so let's just wait for her okay? You know she got a bit green when she saw me performing surgery? It'll be interesting to see what color she turns this time."

Harper laughed. Her mom was brave but she knew she didn't like snakes. "I bet she turns purple."

"You just might be right." Santana agreed, turning to look at her mate a smile on her face. Things were going great., she and Harper had come to an understanding they were having a good time. This was _a good_ day. But the smile on her face faded when she noticed the look on Charlie's face, the anger and the hurt and she knew that her good day was _not_ going to last all that long.

"Hey mom—" Harper said the smile on her face frowning as her mom grabs her arm and pulls her close. "Mom?"

"We're going home," Charlie snapped at her daughter, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"But we were going to see the reptiles—" Harper said tugging on her arm a bit trying to squirm free.

"Charlie, what's wrong?" Santana asked moving to touch her mate, all it would take was a single touch and Charlie would be okay. Maybe they could talk about it but Charlie pulls away from her and narrows her eyes.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? I _told_ you not to tell anyone, I said to keep it to yourself and now Quinn _knows_."

It takes a moment before Santana realizes what Charlie is talking about and she frowns, "I didn't _tell_ Quinn anything—"

"It doesn't matter if you told Quinn _anything_ , she found out from somewhere so unless you're telling me that you didn't tell anyone—" Charlie trails off and her fingers clench into a fist when Santana immediately looks away. "Yeah, I thought so. I'm taking my daughter and going home. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you." Charlie snaps not caring that she's making a scene, not caring that there was a hurt look on Santana's face. This was why she didn't trust anyone.

"Mom?" Harper asked hesitatingly.

"Let's go," Charlie repeats and moves away once more when Santana tries to touch her. "Stay away from me," she hisses before storming away.


	17. Chapter 17

Rachel sighed and eyed her wife, "You know it's not attractive that you're hiding from Santana. It doesn't fill me with confidence," she says dryly tilting her head at the door. "You're lucky that my parents are taking care of Beth right now," she says shaking her head as she moves to open the door.

"What are you doing? Don't let her in," Quinn hisses.

Rachel tilts her head towards Quinn again, "I can't take you seriously while you're hiding behind a couch."

"I'm not hiding." Quinn defends.

Rachel quirks her brow and waits patiently for Quinn to remember that they are _mates_ and Rachel damn well knows that Quinn is hiding. When her alpha makes no move to admit her fear, Rachel shakes her head. "If I don't let Santana in she'll break the door down just to get to you. I _like_ that door, and I'm furious at you." Rachel reminds Quinn. "I _told_ you to leave it alone, how could you let this happen and how could you let Charlie think that it was Santana?" Rachel winces as the pounding on the door grows louder. "Just deal with it Quinn, she probably won't try and murder you—well she might try and murder you but it probably won't last that long."

"Rachel," Quinn whined. Santana was _crazy_ , and while she had found it amusing when Santana went off on someone she had never wanted to be the focus of Santana's craziness. "You're my omega, which means I forbid you from opening that door."

Rachel stared at Quinn for a moment before opening the door for Santana, "Have fun," Rachel said with a smile on her face. "Forbid me from opening the door," Rachel muttered under her breath shaking her head as she grabbed her jacket and closed the door. She had _almost_ felt bad for her mate, _almost_. Then she had to go pull something asinine like _forbidding_ her from opening the door. Quinn deserved what she got.

"Where is she?" Santana pushed past Rachel with singular focus.

"Hiding behind the couch," Rachel responds watching as Santana immediately marches towards the couch. At least Quinn had finally stood up to face Santana.

"I'm not hiding, I was looking for my—uh contacts, right I was looking for my contacts." Quinn lies, exhaling before turning to face Santana head on. She wasn't going to be terrified of some omega even if that omega was insane and had razor blades hidden in her hair.

"How the hell did you find out?" Santana practically spits with rage. It didn't matter what Quinn had said, she could figure that out for herself, but the thing she couldn't wrap her head around was _how_ Quinn knew.

"Find out what?" Quinn gulped feigning obliviousness. Maybe if Santana thought it was an accident she might—

Santana pushed forcefully against Quinn's shoulders. "You _knew_ and now she thinks I _betrayed her_ , so forgive me if I'm not in the mood to play fucking games. How did you know?"

"Rachel—"

"If you say the hobbit told you, I will slap you so hard you won't wake up until Beth's graduation. How—"

Rachel steps forward. "She used Beth to ask Harper. It confirmed a suspicion I have held for a long time, but I did help Quinn connect the dots."

Santana's face turned an impressive shade between purple and red as she processed the information. "You used _Harper_?" She can't believe this. She was so close, _so close_ to having everything she had ever wanted. Fucking Quinn had ruined it.

"I—" Quinn sighed. "Look, I was worried. You weren't telling me—"

"And you didn't think there was a _damn_ good reason?" Santana challenged. Of course she didn't, she was Quinn who thought she was God's gift to the world.

"I just needed to know what was going on." Quinn sighs.

"So you had your kid interrogate a nine year old? God, you're such a bitch."

"Hey—"

"Do you even know what you've done?" Santana raged. "You managed to fuck up in a way that I can't even make better."

"That's not true. Once I tell Charlie—"

"No." Santana interrupts again. If Charlie finds out that Harper told, she's not sure what will happen. She _does_ know that Charlie will feel humiliated and embarrassed and Harper will blame herself. She can't let that happen. "No. You may not have thought of this because you're a stupid ass alpha with a stupid ass alpha kid, but did you ever think of what it will do to Harper when she finds out that she betrayed her mom?"

"It wasn't betrayal. She made a comment, she didn't even know what she was saying—"

"But she's an _omega_. An omega who has been taking care of her mom for years. I _literally_ just had a conversation with her this morning because she was worried I would take over and send her away. And even if Charlie tries to say it's okay, Harper's going to see the lie coming from a mile away."

When Quinn tried to protest, Rachel shook her head, placing her hand on Quinn's arm. "She's right."

"Do you even realize how hard it was for Charlie to confide in Harper?" Santana couldn't believe this. "She has _never_ talked about it. And you—"

Quinn bristled. She was _just_ trying to do the right thing. She didn't mean to turn this into some clusterfuck. "And what do you know? You're not even her mate."

"And thanks to you, I never will be." Santana swallows, she needed to fix this. She needed to make sure that Harper never found out that she was the cause of this and if that meant taking the blame and coming up with some believable story then so be it.

Quinn swallowed, a pit growing in her stomach,"Don't say that, Charlie just needs some time to process this and I'll tell her that Rachel helped me connect the dots. No one has to know that it was Harper. I mean, Charlie's angry, she might believe it—"

Santana resisted the urge to start smacking Quinn, "Do you think she'll believe that? Do you _honestly_ think that Charlie's that stupid that's she's going to believe that you one day woke up and realized she had been raped? She might on the off chance believe that it was Harper, but even Harper didn't know the full story, I don't even know the full story."

"Santana, you need to breathe and calm down. Charlie needs some time to process this, once she thinks about it, when she sits down and thinks about it and after I tell her that I was the one that figured it out, she might be more inclined to believe you after she calms down." Rachel offers, maybe if she was lucky she could catch Charlie at home and explain it to her there.

Santana turns to look at Rachel, she was wrong. "No, don't you dare get involved you and Quinn have done enough. I need to make this go away, not you. Charlie doesn't trust anyone and right now the only thing she'll believe is me telling her that it was me." Santana pinches the bridge of her nose. "She won't believe you, she won't believe Quinn, so long as I admit it, she'll probably believe me." Santana wipes her eye. It was _over,_ she knew it was. Harper would always be Charlie's number one priority and she understood why. She couldn't let anything come between that relationship or Charlie would be alone permanently. If this was the last time she could be Charlie's omega then so be it. "Who else have you told?"

"No one," Rachel promises immediately but Santana's gaze doesn't leave Quinn's face. She turns to her mate and winces, "Quinn, what did you do?"

"Nothing," Quinn responds quickly. She winces when Rachel moves towards her and she stumbles back, "Look, I may have mentioned to my dad that I knew why Charlie's life hadn't turned out the way he had hoped. We were going to talk about it when he dropped Beth back at home."

Santana's brow twitched, "You did—for fucks sake—you know what I can't. I can't do this anymore." Santana pinches the bridge of her nose and frowns ever so slightly, "God you are so _stupid._ How were we friends?"

"Santana—" Quinn began only to have Santana push her back. "I'm sorry."

"I don't forgive you."

"You don't mean that." Quinn scoffs. Santana has been an almost annoyingly persistent friend. She couldn't just end their friendship on a whim. She had made a _mistake_.

"Stay the hell away from me." Santana slapped Quinn's hand away and turned on her heel storming back from where she came. If she ever saw Quinn again it would be too soon.

* * *

"Mom?" Harper's voice was small and slightly scared as she watched her mother violently stirring the macaroni and cheese. "Are you okay?"

Charlie stopped stirring and tried to swallow the lump back as she rubbed her face. "Yeah, I will be." It's not a lie. It can't be a lie because she needs to believe that she will be. She'd been hit before after letting her guard down. The most important thing was getting back up and not making the same mistake again. She couldn't get her hopes up anymore, because to do so would be stupid. She should have seen this coming, but she hadn't because Santana had been— _everything_. She had thought—she had mistakenly thought that Santana had been different. But she should have known. Santana and Quinn were friends, of course it must have slipped out. Now everyone would know, they'd look at her see someone weak and useless.

Harper bit her lip, "Santana and I had fun at the zoo today can I go watch her perform surgery next week?" Harper asked hopefully.

"No. I'm sorry Harper but there's nothing that's going to happen between me and Santana anymore." Charlie answered looking at her daughter finally. "It's just going to be the two of us okay?"

"Is it because of me? I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's not because of you," Charlie responds cutting her off immediately. "It's not your fault Harper, I _promise_." Charlie frowns and exhales noisily. "I promise it's not because of you. I just think that the two of us are better off by ourselves. Don't worry about it Harper, you're still going to be going to that new school of yours. I'll figure something out."

Harper turned when a tentative knock sounded at the door but stops when she feels a hand on her wrist, holding her back.

"Don't answer it." Charlie commanded.

"Mom?" Harper questioned, looking at her mother who was stirring the pot even more. She takes a step towards the door after the next knock.

"Don't," Charlie repeats moving the pot off the oven. "I'll take care of it. Go do your homework or whatever, dinner will be done soon." She watches as her daughter hesitates for a moment before slinking off to her room. Charlie exhales for a moment and then heads to the door, she could smell Santana from here and she just needed her gone. She opens the door and takes a step outside closing the door so Harper couldn't hear. "What?"

"Charlie, I'm _so_ —"

"No. You don't get to be _anything_ to me anymore." Charlie crosses her arms over her chest. "I'm done."

"If you'd just give me a chance to explain—"

"I don't _need_ you to explain." Charlie shook her head, laughing humorlessly. "I just can't believe I fell for it."

"Fell for what?" Santana asked, then instantly shook her own head, correcting herself. "I _promise_ , I didn't mean to—"

"Yeah, you didn't mean to, but you did." Charlie bit the inside of her cheek. "You _told_ Quinn. Or are you going to deny it? Are you going to lie to me and tell me that you didn't ever tell anyone?"

Santana gulped. This was it. This was the point of no return. "No. I'm not going to deny that." She had told someone, she had told Brittany and her father and while she _knew_ they would never betray her confidence, she had just been trying to help. She _hadn't_ told Quinn, but Harper didn't know the magnitude of what she had said and Santana would keep it that way.

"Then I think that's all we have to say to each other." Charlie declares with finality. She doesn't want to hear any excuses or platitudes. She's _done_ and if she lives the rest of her life alone, well then maybe that's what she deserves.

"So that's it? I make _one_ mistake and it's over?" Santana narrows her eyes. Charlie's not even going to fight for them? Even if she _had_ told Quinn, it didn't mean she deserved to be discarded so easily.

"This is my _life_ , Santana. It might be stupid to you, but it's my fucking life. I was _fine_ before and I'll be fine again. So yeah, it's over. But it wasn't ever really anything in the first place." Charlie insists, fury completely clouding her mind. "But let me make it clear to you: I don't want you anymore."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Santana throws up her hands. She _hates_ feeling out of control like this but there is no way for her to stop this trainwreck. "We're _mates_. I know that doesn't mean anything to you—"

"But that's just it, Santana. We're _not_ mates, by your choice, might I add. You rejected me and I don't want this anymore. So I'll say this and hope that you can keep up: leave me the hell alone."

"Charlie we can still _fix_ this. I still want to be your mate I still want to—"

"Yeah, but I don't." Charlie smirks at the discomfort that causes her former mate despite the painful tug in her own heart. "Now leave me alone, I'm making dinner for my daughter and then I'm going to help her with her homework," Charlie interrupts, holding up her hands. There was a part of her that was resisting this dismissal but she powered through it and turned around heading back into her apartment and slamming the door in Santana's face. Her heart hurts, it's worse than when Mack had left, or any of the others, but she couldn't trust Santana. It had been a mistake to trust her. It was a mistake to trust anyone.

So she didn't understand why she wanted to open the door and stop Santana from leaving so badly and tell her that everything would be okay. Because it wouldn't. Not ever again.

* * *

 **AN: Time skip next chapter. A rather large time skip.**


	18. Chapter 18

Harper fidgets uncomfortably, craning her neck in an attempt to gradually check to see if her mom's new truck was waiting out on the street in front of her aunts' apartment. She hasn't seen her mom in a long time, but she said she was coming.

Quinn caught the sight of her niece's attempt. "She'll be here." She assured. It had been over a year since Charlie had broken up with Santana and everything had fallen apart. Sure, Charlie made more money, enough to send Harper to the same private school that Beth attended, but Quinn was sure Harper hadn't seen her mom in at least two weeks.

Harper wasn't stupid, and she's been in this position before. Now that she lived with her aunt Quinn, she saw her mom even less than before. "You said that last time."

"But today is your _birthday_." Quinn tapped Harper's shoulder playfully. "It's not every day that your kid turns ten." Quinn kept the forced smile on her lips, trying to cheer Harper up. Charlie had spent the first few months after Santana attempting to balance having a nice apartment and keeping Harper safe, until something had snapped. She to this day wasn't sure what it was, but it had been the beginning of Harper's summer vacation when Charlie had informed her that she was finally going pro, and had asked her to watch over Harper while she was away. The training camp was only supposed to be for a few weeks down in Arizona, but Charlie had taken a last minute fight and had won in a convincing fashion. Three weeks turned into eight weeks. Eight weeks turned into sixteen weeks and so forth and so on. If Harper was lucky she would see Charlie once every two weeks, and even then the skype calls were getting more sparse.

"It's okay," Harper said trying to keep her bottom lip from wobbling. "She's got to practice a lot down there so she can become a champion. She said that if she won, then she'd let me wear her belt, and I'd get to walk down to the cage with her once."

Quinn frowned and swallowed. Charlie didn't tell her _anything_ , she didn't know what flight Charlie would be coming in on. She didn't know if Charlie would be driving up, she didn't know anything. Any talk that they did have was simply based on Harper's needs. Charlie had completely shut down, shutting everyone out. The only person who could reach her whenever she wanted was Harper. Though at this moment not even that was a sure thing anymore.

"Well, how about I make you something for breakfast and then we can open a few presents now?" Rachel offers smiling at Harper who turns to her. "Beth why don't you get Harper the presents that are in my sound room?" Rachel asks turning to her daughter who frowns at this but gets up to do what she was asked.

Harper shakes her head, "My mom always makes me breakfast, well she tries and then we go to iHop or Steak 'n Shake," she smiles and glances at the time it's already after ten in the morning. Much later than usual but she couldn't give up hope that her mom would be here.

Rachel glances at Quinn before forcing a smile onto her face and looking back at Harper, "Of course, but we can open presents right?" She felt the need to keep things upbeat even if she didn't feel like doing so. She loved Harper but Charlie couldn't just shirk her parental responsibilities and _abandon_ Harper. Quinn insisted that Charlie was doing this for Harper but she knew that her mate didn't want to state the obvious. Charlie had _abandoned_ her daughter with them. She could already tell that Harper knew this, but Harper was Charlie's daughter and if it was bothering her then she didn't let it show.

Beth balanced the boxes as best as she could but it still came tumbling down landing at Harper's feet, she flashes Harper a grin. "You got a present from Aunt Santana! She gives the best presents," Beth said grabbing one of the bigger boxes and handing it to Harper.

Quinn frowned and turned to Rachel. Santana hadn't said a word to her in ages, they didn't call, they didn't do lunch they didn't do _anything_ anymore. She thought that she'd be grateful for the respite from Santana's craziness but she missed her best friend. A best friend who was clearly still in contact with her mate. She caught Rachel's eye but Rachel shrugged and turned back to Harper.

Harper hesitated and glanced around quickly but her mom wasn't there and she quickly tears open the present. A smile crosses her face and she pulls the wrapping paper aside to reveal a human skeleton. "Awesome!" she said grinning.

"Don't forget the card," Rachel ads reaching over to grab a card that had fallen to the ground and handing it to Harper who tears it open. It was the first time all day that Harper had looked genuinely happy.

Harper takes the card and opens it a hundred dollar bill falling out and onto the ground. "She gave me money too?" she asked in shock looking up and reading the letter. The smile on her face fading a bit as she reads the card. She closes it and pushes a smile back onto her face. "Okay. I think I'm going to wait for my mom now."

Rachel made a face and looked at Quinn who shrugged, that was an odd reaction.

"What did it say?" Beth asked reaching for the card.

"Nothing," Harper says reaching for the card and holding it to her chest. "Nothing, I just want to wait for my mom is all. We always open birthday presents together."

Quinn sighed and shook her head. "Harper—your mom is—" There was a sharp knock on the door stopping her and Harper's head snaps up. Quinn frowns and looks at Rachel who immediately goes to open the door. She recognized her twin's scent anywhere, and judging from the fact that Harper was vibrating so did she. Quinn glances over at Rachel who frowns but goes to open the door.

"Charlie," Rachel greets graciously immediately side-stepping as Harper launches herself at her mom who hoists her up in the air. "It's good to see you again," she says dryly. "How long do you plan on staying this time?"

" _Rachel_ ," Quinn mutters and looks at her twin. "It's uh—good to see you."

Charlie was quiet for a moment as she checked her daughter to make sure that she was fine, "Happy birthday Harper," Charlie says with a grin. "Sorry I'm late, I got stuck in traffic and apparently wanting to run on the highway is a _bad_ idea," Harper laughs at this and allows her to muss up her hair. "So what's the plan today Harper?"

Harper shrugs. "Whatever you want to do." She honestly didn't care, as long as she got to spend the day with her mom, she would be happy.

Charlie rubs her hands together. "We're going to have the best six hours of your life."

Harper grins but Rachel quickly puts together what Charlie means. "You mean you're leaving tonight?"

Harper's grin fades as she too realizes that her mom isn't going to stay. Charlie shoots Rachel a scathing look. "It's not a big deal, I've just got a fight tomorrow evening, so I have to get back."

"But it's my _birthday_ ," Harper says immediately.

"Harper if I win this then I'll get put in a fight to become the number one contender and—"

"It's my _birthday_ and you always spend the entire day with me!" Harper snaps at her mom pulling away from her. "You _promised_."

"I know I did." Charlie sighed, running her hand through her hair. "And I'm _so_ sorry. But this is just one fight and then after that, I've got some time off for us to take a trip. Maybe we can go to Disneyworld? I'll make it up to you."

Harper felt tears burning behind her eyes, but refused to let them show. "Sure." She snarkily replied.

"But get your stuff, I've got a birthday present for you that will—"

"No." Harper huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Charlie's eyes narrowed. She had just driven for twenty-four hours straight and now her kid was going to act like a brat? "Harper—"

"I don't want to go anywhere with _you_." She spat, turning on her heel and storming to her bedroom.

Charlie immediately takes a step to follow her, her anger quickly spiking only to have Quinn grab her arm, "Let Rachel handle it," Quinn said immediately causing Charlie to scowl. " _Charlie_ , let Rachel handle it. Harper is just growing up and she's upset that she hasn't seen you around lately."

Charlie pulled her arm back from Quinn, "I have to work—I'm making good money now and I've got sponsorship's and I'm so close to making some _real_ money."

Quinn sighed, "This wasn't supposed to be a long term solution Charlie, you know that as well as I do and Harper's been looking forward to this day for months. You showed up late, which she could forgive but I mean you're leaving in a few hours only to be gone for god knows how long again. It's like _high school_ all over again. She's your kid, she's an omega. You're her mom and this was only supposed to be temporary. I agreed because I felt guilty but _come on_. It's November and you've been gone for more than a year already. She's been a trooper Charlie but she shouldn't have to be."

"I'm not working for Artie, I don't have the luxury of choosing my own fights Quinn. I'm still in the middle of the pack and the more I fight the more I get paid. I'm doing my best—"

"If you were doing your best Harper would be with you down there instead of up here with us. The reason you _never_ went pro to begin with was because it would force you to spend time away from your daughter."

"If I win this it's going to be another six months till I fight again, I was going to spend the next three months in New York with my daughter, that's what the plan was. I mean I've managed to put a lot of money away for Harper and this is important Quinn. I'm doing the best that I can—"

"No when you were struggling, you were doing the best you could. Now that you're making money, you're using that as an excuse to not spend time with your kid. You're _all_ that Harper has left. So start acting like her mother again. Start putting her first like you always did." Quinn studies her twin for a moment. She had quickly learned not to bring it up in front of Charlie but she knew that all of this had been brought on by the whole Santana fiasco. "There are training camps in New York, good ones Rachel did the research, and you won't have to worry about running into Santana."

Charlie's eyes narrowed at the name even though her heart skipped a beat. It hadn't been easy, in fact it hurt every single day that Santana wasn't by her side. She needed her mate. "Drop it Quinn, I thought I was clear that the only thing that I need you to do is watch Harper I don't need—"

Quinn held up her hand, she should have done this ages ago and at this point it really couldn't make things worse. Despite what Santana and Rachel believed, she _knew_ her twin. Harper would always get a pass from Charlie she was a kid. Kids made mistakes they were _kids_. "It wasn't Santana."

Rachel poked her head out from the hallway, "Quinn?" It came out harsher than she intended but the situation was already messed up. Quinn didn't need to make this any worse.

"No Rachel, she needs to know that all of this—" Quinn waves her hand around, "isn't because she was betrayed by her omega. I didn't find out because of Santana. Well not really, you _told_ us that you were going to mate and you didn't. I asked questions, Santana informed me bluntly that it was none of my business and she may or may not have threatened to stab me. She didn't tell me what happened to you. So that day that I brought Beth over and you told me about your plans to move into that nice neighborhood? Yeah, I had Beth squeeze Harper for information. I used Harper, and before you punch me in the face for using your daughter, it was Rachel who put the pieces together. Santana told you that it was her because she _wanted to_ no _needed_ to have you believe that it was her so all of this wouldn't happen. She didn't want Harper to feel abandoned while you worked through your shit, but clearly _that_ didn't happen."

"You _used_ Harper?" Charlie couldn't believe it. She had spent countless nights wondering how Santana could have shared something so raw with her twin like it was a piece of gossip. But—it wasn't her?

"Yeah. I did. And—" Quinn reels back the moment she feels a sharp pain. She had known Charlie was going to hit her. She just didn't know how badly it would hurt. " _Fuck_ ," she hissed and immediately put her hands up even though her eyes were still closed. Charlie would only get one easy one and then after that she was going to put up a fight. Even if she got her ass kicked at least Beth would see that she could hold her own in a fight. Instead she feels Charlie shoving her aside.

"I'm going to take my daughter out for her birthday," Charlie informed Quinn bluntly side stepping Rachel and opening Harper's door. "Harper we're going for breakfast, you want to be mad at me _fine_ but do it after I leave so we're not wasting time." Charlie didn't hesitate instead moving to her daughter and picking her up and putting her on her shoulder.

Harper giggles when Charlie tickles her side, despite her annoyance. "Put me down." She whines half-heartedly. This was all she really wanted.

"No," Charlie said shaking her head. " _Never_."

Harper grumbled and tried to wriggle out of her mother's grasp, "Where are you taking me?" she says finally settling down, because her mom has her and there really was no escape.

"Pancakes first, then we're going to the aquarium and then we're going to do a bit of laser tag, you're on my team." Charlie responds, relaxing now that Harper is going along with it. She'd be upset for now, but after tomorrow's fight she'd be back in town for a few months and maybe things would go back to normal between them for now. She didn't quite know how to deal with the information that Quinn had given her, but that too could be solved after she was back in town for a bit.

Rachel waited until Charlie had left before rushing over to make sure that Quinn was alright, she could feel her mate's pain and wanted to soothe it. "Do we need to go to the hospital?" Maybe she should call Santana and see if she had time to help Quinn.

"No, I'll be fine. I don't think she broke it," Quinn murmured. Which would probably be a first for Charlie, getting punched in the face generally felt like getting hit by a truck.

"She didn't?" Rachel asks pulling Quinn's hand away to make sure. She smiles at her mate for a moment lulling Quinn into a false sense of security before smacking her hard on the shoulder. "What have you done?"

"Ow! Why the fuck is everyone hitting me. You saw that? I knew Charlie wouldn't take it out on Harper, me on the other hand? My face? Yeah that was fair game. Now she can go and find Santana and they can finally figure their shit out. We should have told her _ages_ ago."

"It's been _over_ a year Quinn. Of course Charlie's not angry about it anymore and yelling at Harper wasn't going to do anything. That's _not_ the problem. Not anymore." Rachel frowned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Santana's _seeing_ someone else."

"Santana _sees_ a lot of people and who cares it's just a bunch of betas. They know what to expect when it comes to dealing with omegas and alphas." Quinn rubbed her arm and then eyed Rachel who made a face.

"She's not _seeing_ another beta, she's seeing an alpha Quinn. You can't just—Santana's not going to be happy that Charlie's entering her life again. She's just finally begun to move on." Rachel pinched the bridge of her nose. Santana had gotten really sick once Charlie left and it was only synthetic medications that kept her from relapsing. This new alpha had made that better, and even if they weren't mates, it was a chance. She made her promise not to tell anyone. Then again Santana still believed that Charlie was in New York. She was tired of all the secrets and the lies because it usually ended up with situations like this.

"Charlie and Santana are _meant_ to be together and she needed to know. Once Charlie apologizes Santana will forgive her and they can figure their shit out again and more importantly Charlie has a reason to _stay_ away from New York. I just _fixed_ everything." Quinn said proudly crossing her arms over her chest. Rachel needed to have a bit more faith in her.

"Mom, your nose is bleeding," Beth piped up, smirking when her mom scowled at her. Her mom should have known better than to fight with Aunt Charlie. One of the first rules of being a good alpha was to avoid fights that you couldn't win.


	19. Chapter 19

"I don't know how you can watch something so barbaric."

Santana looked up at the comment from her girlfriend and shrugged. "It's hot." She admitted, reaching over to take the bowl of popcorn that Dani offered her and scooted over to give her room. Dani had been the most recent in the short list of alphas that had been practically thrown at her by her parents after her most recent relapse and they had hit it off right away. Dani's mate had passed away in some tragic accident that Dani never talked about. That was fine by Santana, who still hadn't gotten around to mentioning Charlie—not that there was anything to really tell, but whatever. They were making it work.

"Alpha's beating the crap out of each other?" Dani laughed, pinching Santana's side playfully. "I never would have pegged you as the type."

"It's _primal_ , how it was meant to be," Santana retorts making something up on the fly. Truthfully she was only watching this because Charlie was supposed to be fighting tonight. She couldn't help but check, Dani might end up being her mate on paper but she wanted to get a glimpse of the woman who was supposed to be her bonded mate.

Dani placed a lingering kiss against Santana's exposed collar bone. "Primal, huh?" She trails a finger up Santana's arm slowly. "So if I beat up another alpha, you'll mate with me?" Dani teased.

Santana laughs and tries to dodge the question, "Well, I've seen you in court—"

Dani grinned, "You're right. I _am_ vicious in court," she finishes for Santana, completely dropping the offer. She had been dropping hints like this more and more regularly. She was content with what they had and it was clear that Santana wasn't quite ready. Maribel had been vague as to why her daughter was unmated but that didn't matter. "Why don't I show you how vicious I can be?"

Santana rolled her eyes and tossed some popcorn at Dani, "Maybe after the fights, I really want to see who wins the main event tonight."

Dani huffed, "Seriously?" she pressed a bit only to watch as Santana sat up as the tale of the tape appeared on the screen. She glanced at the screen not really paying attention to the names that appared.

Santana shrugged, "Everyone has their _thing_ and this just so happens to be mine. This probably won't even leave the first round, it rarely ever does," Santana informs Dani.

Dani crinkled her nose, "The person with the golden shorts is going to win," she says after a moment. "Bigger, longer reach, and she looks more fit, probably faster."

Santana frowned and looked at the woman that Charlie was facing, Dani had a point but she had seen Charlie take on bigger people that weren't even in her weight class in the underground fights that she had been part of. "I bet you that blue shorts wins."

"You're on," Dani smirked, she can't bear to turn down a good bet and she knew Santana well enough to know that she wasn't willing to turn it down either. "What do I get when I win?"

Santana tore her eyes off the screen for a moment to look at Dani. "Sex on your desk at work," Santana says crossing her arms over her chest, smirking when Dani bit her lip, her eyes widening. "And if I win?"

"Uh—" Dani stutters.

Santana rolls her eyes and turns back to the television as they touch gloves, "You be my willing slave for the rest of the week," Santana offers.

"Deal!" Dani says quickly as the fight starts, being Santana's sex slave for the week was still a win in her book.

Santana smirked as she watched Charlie kept her hands up and began to slowly circle her opponent. She winced as Charlie got kicked in the leg. Charlie seemed to shake it off, ducking and weaving her head moving out of the way as her opponent attempted to engage her. It was different than her usual fights, maybe it was smarter. "Come on," she muttered. She liked sex just fine, but Dani worked with her mother and the idea of her mom walking in on them having sex, or smelling it the next day did not appeal to her.

"Like I said gold shorts has the longer reach, older, has more professional fights. This isn't even a contest Santana," Dani said knowledgeably, wincing as Charlie caught another kick to the legs.

Santana ignored Dani, studying Charlie's face for a moment, looking for any signs that Charlie was worried but she barely flinched when she got kicked in the leg again. "The most important thing in a fight is heart, you aren't going to win fights if you don't have heart." She watched as Charlie slowly switched up her stance for a moment and winced, this fight was going to be over soon she could just feel it in her bones.

"I agree that determination and courage have a small role to play in this but if you're in better physical conditioning than your opponent then it really doesn't—" Dani's jaw dropped as Charlie countered an errant punch, her fist slamming full force into her fighter's jaw and she watched as her fighter dropped to the ground. She couldn't tear her eyes away as Charlie pounced managing to land a few quick blows to the head before she was pulled off by a referee. "I _lost_." She breathed in disbelief.

Santana grinned, whether it was pride for Charlie's success or excitement at beating Dani. "You did."

"I can't believe it."

"I can," Santana sang and turned to Dani, Charlie would probably have a few words to say but that didn't matter anymore.

Dani's nose crinkled for a moment, she wanted to argue the point but she had agreed to be Santana's slave for the week. "Well a bet's a bet. So I should probably get naked and get to work right?"

"Hmm, maybe later," Santana says shifting so she can place her feet on Dani's lap. "Right now, I could really go for a foot massage." She wiggles her toes for Dani who groans. "I said slave, the only person who was thinking about sex was you!" Santana teases." Now get to it!"

* * *

"So, remember that one time you told me to stay out of your personal life?" Tina asked, shooting another glance down the hall just to confirm she wasn't seeing things.

Santana blinked, turning away from her paperwork. "I can remember saying that to you on countless occasions, but I never actually thought it had sunk in."

"I believe your exact words were that I should shut the hell up unless I knew you were about to fall off a cliff or there was a situation of impending doom."

"Right." Santana shrugged, rolling her eyes before turning back to the patient file. With any luck, she would be done well before the end of her shift. "That still stands."

"There's a situation." Tina announced. "You should get out now, while you still can."

Santana laughed, not looking up. She didn't have time to deal with Tina's drama. "Of impending doom? I doubt it."

Tina shook her head and leaned down to pick up her own files, "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Hey Santana." Charlie cleared her throat when she reached the desk.

Santana froze, this couldn't be happening. She had just seen Charlie on television last night as her girlfriend rubbed her feet and then other parts of her. How had she not smelt Charlie's presence earlier? It had been a year but she still that hoodie that she had stolen from Charlie. Charlie had made it clear numerous times that she wanted nothing to do with her. She had managed to taper off her need for Charlie's presence by keeping out of sight whenever Charlie was around. She went to watch her fights and sat in the back row. She had gone to Puck's gym when Charlie was finished until one day Charlie had just stopped showing up. Puck had said that she had moved on to better things, whatever that meant. "Charlie, what are you doing here?" she manages to get out hoping that her voice sounds every bit as professional as it normally did. Because her body was reacting just like it normally did when Charlie was around.

"I needed a doctor to give me a medical clearance so I can go back to training. You're a doctor and I was hoping that you'd give me a checkup and sign the clearance forms," Charlie says holding up the form. "I do have insurance now so I can pay you for your time if you want to make it official."

There were hundreds of doctors, thousands even and Charlie was insisting on seeing her. She should say no and walk away and have nothing to do with the alpha that had so cruelly tossed her aside. Charlie couldn't play that game anymore. "Okay." Santana informs Charlie closing the file on the table and getting up and grabbing a new file. She was just asking for drama, it wouldn't take Charlie long to smell Dani all over her. "Right this way."

Charlie followed Santana quietly until she was led into a small examination room. Santana closes the door and she can't help the urge to simply push Santana against the door and kiss her. She smells different, something else lingering around her and she feels a swell of possessive jealousy which she quashes. She was here for a reason. "You lied to me."

Santana's body goes rigid for a split second before she turns to look at Charlie, a mistake as her ex-girlfriend—her _mate_ was currently stripping out of her clothes revealing the body that she had fantasized about for months. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Charlie counters. "Quinn told me."

"Fuck Quinn." Santana snarls, but can't tear her eyes away from Charlie's body.

Charlie smirks. "She's your best friend."

Santana crosses her arms, her latent fury breaking the spell Charlie seems to hold on her and turns away. "Maybe a year ago, but things change."

Charlie frowned. She hadn't known that. She guessed she had just assumed that Santana and Quinn were still as close as always. She shrugged away that concern, she wasn't as close with Quinn anymore either. But she wasn't about to get distracted. "You didn't tell her."

"Does it really matter?" Santana retorts. "You made it _abundantly clear_ that you never wanted to see me again."

"That was when I thought you betrayed me, but—"

"But what? Now that you know, everything's different? Well guess what? I'm _still_ that same person that you thought you could throw away like yesterday's garbage." It stung painfully, realizing that she was so easily cast aside.

"But now I know." Charlie corrects. "And things are different—"

"Are they? Because sure, I never confided in your twin sister, but guess what Charlie, I'm not perfect. One mistake, _one_ and you decided to just cut me out of your life." Santana shook her head. "We were _mates_ and I thought that meant something. Apparently it didn't."

"You let me think that you betrayed me."

"I did." Santana nods pointedly. "And I'd do it again. Harper didn't need to deal with your shit-storm of emotions when she got it into her head that she failed you. That kid deserves better than to wonder how she can take care of her mom as she falls asleep."

Charlie frowned, Santana didn't get to take the high road with this. "Except Harper is _my_ kid. Nothing is ever going to change that. You should have _trusted me_ to handle it but you didn't. You made a decision for me and lied to me. It's _different_. So I get upset at my daughter for a week or two. So what? You're _supposed_ to be my mate and I'm supposed to trust you and you _know_ that letting me believe you did it was a simple mistake. That was my biggest secret. Something that I had entrusted you with."

Santana looks away for a moment, "Maybe, but your daughter was afraid that I was going to move in and send her away. Make you get rid of her. I made a judgement call, I made the decision to protect your daughter from you. She's just a kid and she was acting out because she was scared. Maybe it was the _wrong_ decision, maybe I should have let the chips fall where they lie but I only did what I did to protect her." Santana exhaled and pulled out her stethoscope. "Let me listen to your heart and take your damn blood pressure."

Charlie takes a seat on the examination table, "Dinner?" She shivers when Santana places the cold stethoscope on her chest.

Santana frowns as Charlie flashes her a small smile and reaches for her , causing her to take a step back. "No."

"No?" Charlie repeats slowly.

"I have plans tonight, and I know you can smell it on me. Not that I care," She adds the last part for good measure. "She's an alpha and I'm not going to just—throw her away like you did to me." Charlie stares at her blankly for a moment before letting out a low possessive growl. She inadvertently takes a step towards Charlie feeling the pull immediately and it takes all her effort to stop and swat the alpha. " _Stop it_. I'm _finally_ happy."

Charlie frowned at this, "Fine." Charlie said reaching for her shirt before Santana could start with the physical again.

Santana groaned, she shouldn't have done this but she couldn't help it. It was the first time that Charlie had sought her out. "Charlie—"

"Santana," Charlie interrupts and waves her away, she wasn't going to let anyone see this hurt. For once she wasn't exactly sure how she felt. "I'll find another doctor. Like I said, I have really good insurance now."

"You know, for an alpha you are _extremely_ passive aggressive," Santana grumbles causing Charlie to turn to her.

"Part of my contract states that I'm not allowed to get into fights outside of the ring, they're trying to project an image. So I can't hunt her down and kick her ass," Charlie responds coolly.

Santana frowns, "Charlie you _left_ and you threw me away. I was your mate."

" _You weren't my mate_." Charlie exhales noisily and runs a hand through her hair. "You broke the bond not me. I can't read your mind, I can't tell how you feel, I don't know if you're lying to me or not. We're not mates by your choice."

"You _know_ that's not fair." Santana snaps back before biting her lip. "You threw me away and I would have stood by you no matter what for one mistake."

"It wasn't a _mistake_. You _knew_ it wasn't a mistake when you lied to me about it. Now I can't look in Quinn's eyes and see that damn look of pity. It makes me feel weak, at least before she looked at me with annoyance. If she was worried it had _nothing_ to do with what happened to me years ago. I never told Quinn and it wasn't for anyone else to tell. So when you lied to me, when you _lied_ and said that you had told Quinn you _knew_ how important that was to me and you did it anyway. You didn't trust me to handle the truth, and even if you didn't tell Quinn you admitted to telling other people. It wasn't _your_ story to tell." Charlie shakes her head and clenches her fist for a moment and then looks at the time.

"I was your _mate_. I was your mate Charlie, and we were getting to the point where—I was ready to try again, I wanted to be your mate more than anything. You walked away. You slammed the door in my face and the only person I told, the only two people I told were my father and another doctor so that I knew how to handle your emotions. I didn't know what I was doing and I didn't know how to handle it."

Charlie shrugs as she finishes slipping on her shirt and brushes against Santana to get to the door. "I didn't need to be handled. I just needed to know that _you_ were on my side. That I could trust you not to leave to not betray me. I _know_ I have trust issues. I know that. So you can't tell me that you never saw that coming. I'm going to go pick up my daughter now."

Santana frowned running a hand through her hair. Charlie couldn't just walk back into her life and demand that she drop everything. Dinner might have been Charlie's attempt to wipe the slate clean and for them to start again and she was tempted to see where that lead, but she had already been down the rabbit hole once with Charlie and she wasn't sure if she could do it again. She may have had a point with the whole Quinn fiasco but she knew that if she overstepped then Charlie would once again throw her away. " _Fuck_." She mutters and shakes her head. Her life was _good_. Dani was good to her. Charlie couldn't just wreck her life. She _couldn't_.


	20. Chapter 20

Santana tapped the table and looked at her watch, for the first time ever Quinn was late and she _loathed_ it. The alpha was probably attempting to psych herself up in the car or something equally as asinine. She picked up the menu and frowned, she'd read it several times. Even though it had been over a year since she'd been here the menu hadn't changed at all except for a few deserts.

She wasn't quite sure _why_ she had decided to finally call Quinn and set this meeting up. It had been years since she had spoken with the older Fabray, instead choosing to remain in contact with the hobbit. She had _tried_ but seeing Quinn made it difficult to move on. But Charlie was back in town and that was all that mattered.

Quinn sighed as she stood outside the diner, wondering when the omegas in her life would stop looking at her like she was a monumental fuck up. Rachel had practically shoved her out the door this morning, threatening that Quinn better not come home until she made it right with Santana. That had to be an empty threat, but Quinn wasn't willing to test her theory. She stood straight, unwilling to let Santana think that she was scared of her.

"Santana." She smiled warmly at her former friend who simply scowled in reply. "It's uh, good to see you."

"Sure." Santana shrugged. "You don't mind that I ordered for you? You were taking _forever_. So we're clear it's amusing when I do it, when you try it well it's just annoying as hell."

Quinn rolled her eyes, wondering why she had been terrified of this meeting. It was _just_ Santana. "You're _always_ late, I just decided to give it back to you for once."

"Yes but at least I wasn't sitting in my car scared shitless," Santana retorts causing Quinn to scowl.

"Yes well, you're insane and I don't want to be stabbed with a butter knife." Quinn shoots back. There was a momentary silence and she meets Santana's gaze for a moment before Santana finally cracks a smile and she relaxes.

"I almost want to say that I missed you, but then I remember that the only reason that I'm here is because you _really_ have trouble understanding the concept of keeping your mouth shut. I _told_ you not to tell your sister." Santana said pointedly glancing up at Quinn and frowning.

Quinn frowned, "I didn't have a choice. I hate to admit it but she was _better_ with you around. She was happier, she won't admit it but she _loved_ you and well—things haven't been going in her favor since you left."

"Let's get one thing straight. I didn't _leave_ , she threw me away." Santana corrected. "I tried to fix it. I tried to call her and talk to her so many times and she ignored me, so don't tell me that I _left_."

Quinn held up her hands defensively, immediately conceding the point. This was the first time she had seen Santana, she didn't need to let this turn into a fight. "I was just trying to help."

"Yeah, well since when did _that_ ever work?" Santana snorted.

"I was getting used to the idea that you were going to be a member of the family and truthfully I didn't really want Charlie to screw it up. I didn't know it would be something big like that, I just thought that my sister had a fear of commitment or something." Quinn sighs when Santana shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. I made the right judgement call right? Charlie came back to you once she found out the truth. Something we should have done ages ago."

"I'm standing by my decision. You weren't there, Harper was terrified that I was going to ship her off and separate her from Charlie. Harper is an omega and I know that Charlie tries her best but it's _different_. There will be things that she simply doesn't get and can't help her with. Throw in Charlie's overprotective streak that she has going on because she doesn't trust anyone and Harper is sheltered, sometimes not in a good way."

Quinn made a face she'd been telling Charlie this for _years_ , so had her parents but Charlie had insisted she _had_ it all under control. "Well, my sister overcorrected." Santana raised a brow at this and Quinn shrugged. "For the past year and a bit Charlie's left Harper in our care, while she's been down doing training camps because she decided to go professional."

"What?"

"I mean at first I was okay with it, like Charlie was going to be making a bit more money and she'd get insurance finally and be able to come home with sponsor money. Plus she'd be fighting less over all. She made enough in one fight to pay for Harper's tuition for the entire year. She sends money so that we can buy her whatever she needs, even though I told her that it was fine. It was supposed to be _temporary_. Harper's birthday was on Friday and not only was she late but she didn't even stay the full day." Quinn explains.

"So everything I did—none of it mattered? I thought she said she _loved_ Harper?" Santana frowned.

"She does, I mean she's back now for a little bit, but mom mentioned that Charlie's thinking about leaving New York permanently and taking Harper with her. Which is a _terrible_ idea. Harper has friends now, she has a life and she gets invited to parties and more importantly she's not getting bullied. There are _excellent_ training camps up here she just doesn't want to be in New York," Quinn explains.

"Because of me." Santana shakes her head bitterly. She wasn't even sure why she was really here.

"I don't know if it's just because of you," Quinn admits picking up her glass of water. "I think it's a whole host of reasons, New York is expensive and even though she's making more money it's not like it's enough. Our parents well they're on her case, but they're _always_ on her case. We don't really talk anymore, she's sort of been adrift by herself lately without an anchor. She doesn't have a lot of reasons to stay except for Harper. Harper who just wants to be with her mom even if things go back to the way they were."

"So it has nothing to do with the fact that I have a new alpha in my life?" Santana asks.

"I said that it wasn't _just_ because of you, you're not the center of her universe Santana," Quinn points out causing Santana to scowl. "You know it's true. Just like you know that you're only here because you want to find out more information on my twin."

"I'm _perfectly_ happy with Dani," Santana snips at Quinn who raises a brow and she inwardly curses when Quinn leans forward. She fucking _hated_ when Quinn looked at her like that. "Don't. You don't get to—"

"To what? Point out the fact that you two haven't mated yet? Or point out the fact that you're _here_ asking about my twin, who you know is still your mate," Quinn takes another sip of her water. Santana scowls at her and she can't help but drive the point home. "How's the sex? You can only get off while imagining my twin can't you?"

"Once I _mate_ —"

"You know as well as I do that it doesn't work like that even if you really want it to. If you had mated with Dani before you met Charlie then maybe things would be different, I don't actually know how that works but you and Charlie _mated_. Even if it was only for a few moments before _you_ cut the bond. You and Charlie are connected, which is why you haven't mated with Dani yet, which is also why you're here trying to get information about my sister."

"Well maybe Dani is what I want _now._ " Santana shook her head, stopping herself from revealing anything else. She did want Dani. Dani was safe and kind and adored Santana in a way she hadn't ever really had before. But Dani wasn't Charlie, and she was still trying to convince herself that it didn't matter. "At least I know I'm her _priority_."

"But if she's not who you want—"

"Shut up." Santana threw her napkin at Quinn and stood. "You don't know anything about me anymore, and you sure as hell don't get to tell me what to do with my life."

Quinn sighed, "You're still my friend, and I just want you to be happy."

"Yes, you want me to be happy with your _twin_." Santana retorts dryly.

"Two birds, one stone." Quinn flicks the napkin back at Santana. "I'm not going to sit here and lie to you, I want you to be the one to make my sister happy, she's— _better_ when she's with you. She _listens_ to you, and yeah you may not think you're up high on her priorities Santana, but you were. Before everything went down, she was looking at places that you two could move in together with. She wanted to be able to provide for you and Harper. That being said, if you choose Dani well then you choose Dani. We're still going to be friends."

Santana swallows and sits back down, "Some friend you are, you always have to go and make my life difficult. First bringing the hobbit into our lives and now this. I don't know which one is worse."

Quinn rolled her eyes and tilted her head towards the waitress who placed a large garden salad in front of her. She doesn't need to look up to see the huge grin on Santana's face. Well this was certainly better than the alternative.

* * *

"It's a shame that Dani couldn't join us for dinner," Carlos said as he placed a plate on the table helping his daughter set it.

Santana flicked her eyes at her father for a moment she could detect the hint of annoyance in his voice. She already knew her father wasn't a fan of Dani, and this wasn't making things better. He'd eventually get with the program once they mated. "It's not her fault that mom gave her so much work to do," Santana grumbled glancing at her mother.

"I'm _grooming_ her to become the next district attorney, it means _long_ hours and some rather high profile cases which she can't afford to lose, Santana." Maribel responded with a role of her eyes.

Santana nodded tiredly. She really wasn't in the mood for this fight again.

But Carlos wasn't so easily dissuaded. "Santana works long hours too, and she's here. If Dani can't even make time for dinner, then maybe she should be worried about losing _Santana_." He said pointedly. He knew what it was like to work long hours, _and_ he knew what it was like to have an alpha who was a rising star in the district attorney's office. But Maribel had _always_ put him first. Dani seemed to be going through the motions at best. He didn't like it one bit.

"She's not going to _lose_ me." Santana shakes her head. "Dani's it for me."

"Then why haven't you mated?" Carlos retorted. He _knew_ why, and as great as Dani was Santana still had her heart set on a certain blonde fighter. No matter how much she protested, Santana was never going to be as happy with Dani as she could be with Charlie.

Maribel narrowed her eyes with a frown. "It's none of our business, they'll mate when they're ready." Truthfully, she was beginning to wonder the same thing. "It's _possible_ that Dani simply doesn't want to be seen as getting special treatment for dating the boss's daughter."

"It's no big deal, I'm sure that I'm going to miss some important family events with Dani's family because of my job. It _happens_ , we're both super busy. One dinner isn't enough to make me change my mind about Dani, certainly not when you ambush me at work and ask me to give you a check-up like some kinky-ass game of doctor that—"

Maribel and Carlos both turned to their daughter in shock, clearly there was something she wasn't telling them. "Santana?"

"Like who the fuck does she think she is?" Santana ranted obliviously, still furious over the week's events. She had been blindsided and she didn't like it one bit. "Which forces me to talk to your twin who is an _asshole_ and—"

"You're talking about Charlie? She's back?" Carlos clarified.

Maribel could almost feel her hackles rise defensively. "Charlie Fabray?" Maybe she did need to lighten Dani's workload.

"She's a fucking pain in my fucking ass is what she is." Santana shook her head quickly.

"A fucking asshole who is your mate," Carlos pointed out slowly.

"A fucking asshole who abandoned you," Maribel corrected. "An alpha who isn't willing to fight for you—"

"Or is respecting her wishes to be left alone," Carlos interrupted, Maribel couldn't twist this to fit her narrative. "Santana what you did was noble but you should have told her the truth. Honesty with someone with trust issues is important, you could have helped clean up the fallout. I'm not blaming you, but the situation was always a powder keg waiting to go off. Now that it did, you can start working on fixing it."

"She has an alpha already. A successful one that doesn't have all that extra and unnecessary baggage. I don't care what her problem is, she treated you _terribly_. You were not a priority, you were never given a top priority by Charlie and I didn't raise you to crawl back to her just because she's throwing you a bone. We raised you to have some self-respect. You already did all the chasing, you pursued an alpha and everyone at this table knows that's not how it's done."

"Charlie is Santana's _mate_. You two are connected and I can promise you that all the hurt and anger you feel on the inside she certainly felt it too. All this proves is that you're both stubborn, that you _both_ need to sit down and talk about it. Being mates makes things easy but given what we know Santana you knew it wasn't going to be easy and you still decided to stick by her."

Maribel frowned Carlos's words had hit their mark and she saw her daughter hesitate for a moment. "What do we know?"

"Nothing." Carlos and Santana replied together, glaring at each other in some unspoken conversation.

Maribel glanced between the two omegas, this has been going on long enough. "No. I'm done being kept in the dark, you two keeping secrets is over. How did we know it wasn't going to be easy?"

Santana glared at her father, hoping that with her dirtiest look she could keep him from caving to her mother's demands. But based on the way he sighed she didn't think she had much hope. "Sit down Mami, I think we should talk."


	21. Chapter 21

"God what are they teaching you down there Charlie? For _fucks sake_ stop relying out on your right, bring out the left I know you've been hiding some destructive power in those fists. And the hell are you doing? Your hip isn't going in! Step in and give it a quick one-two."

Charlie hopped back and exhaled slowly, her body weaving quickly as she eyed Noah from where she was standing. Even if she was technically supposed to be taking it easy, she was going to keep her skills razor sharp until her next fight. It didn't hurt that _this_ helped keep her mind off things.

"I saw your last fight, _wasn't_ that impressive." Puck lied as he took another swipe at Charlie's head. She was finally fighting smarter, no more rushing in and hoping that her chin would hold against an onslaught. He was thrilled that she had finally managed to translate all that anger and frustration that she felt into her fighting. She hadn't made a single mistake, she hadn't rushed in either. "Alright combination from body to face," Puck lectured wincing as he felt the heavy blow to his spleen, he barely had the wherewithal to dodge the blow to the face as he landed on his ass and looked at Charlie. "Have I mentioned that you _seriously_ need to get laid?"

"Many times, in fact that's your advice for _all_ my problems. Want to fight better? Go get laid. Should I go pro? Get your dick wet and then make a decision." Charlie mimics badly causing Puck to laugh.

"Have you _seen_ your mate? If I were you I'd be having as much sex as humanly possible. I wouldn't leave the bedroom. Hell why are you here? You _should_ be out there wooing your omega so you can have sex with her. You know bed breaking sex that makes it impossible for her to walk straight for a few days. You need to be celebrating not in here working your ass off."

Charlie rolled her eyes she really didn't know why she was friends with the unmatted omega, though he certainly smelled different. "I did celebrate, with Harper. We went to a really nice steakhouse together, just the two of us. After we got home we watched movies with popcorn and ice cream till Harper fell asleep and then I put her to bed. It was a good night."

"A sexless night." Puck muttered. "There's a reason you're stuck in the middle of the pack. You need to fuck your cares away so that you can focus on each fight. You've got too much," Puck gestured to her head, "stuff going on in there."

"Better than you. We all know there's nothing going on in there." Charlie snarked playfully.

"That's not what Sam says."

"Sam?"

"My new mate." Puck grinned. He almost forgot how long Charlie had been gone. A lot had changed since then.

Charlie smiled and extended her hand helping Puck up. "Good, you deserve finding your mate. Now you can stop hitting on anything with a pulse."

" _Never_." Puck laughs at his dramatics before looking at Charlie. "You need to fix whatever is broken between you and Santana. I know how I said just find another omega to put your dick in but—don't. Don't do that. Fix it with Santana."

"Let's go again," Charlie said letting go of his hand.

"No, you're going to go over there with flowers and chocolate and whatever other bullshit that Santana likes and you're going to say you're sorry and then you're going to let her yell at you and then you're going to have makeup sex." Puck lectured.

"That's not happening." Charlie responded simply. "She's already moved on and more importantly she's happy, so—" Charlie stopped talking for a moment and tilted her head, before snapping her head back to Puck. "I thought you said she stopped coming to the gym when I stopped showing up?" she hissed at him before jumping out of the ring.

"She has—oh god please don't tell me you're running away from her." Puck winced there was nothing more unattractive than a cowardly alpha.

"Of course not," Charlie hissed grabbing her bag and running a hand through her hair. Puck narrowed his eyes at her causing her to hesitate for a moment as the door to the gym opened and Santana walked in. The sound of her heels clicking against the ground forced Charlie to turn to her. There was nothing terribly wrong with wanting to make sure that she looked presentable in front of Santana. There was no way this new alpha was in as great as shape as she was in. "Santana." She greeted immediately forcing what she could only hope was a flirtatious smile onto her face. "Did you rethink dinner?"

"No." Santana sighed and grabbed Charlie's arm pulling her towards the locker rooms. "We need to talk."

"Have fun." Puck called out. "I'll give you two some privacy to work things out! Remember what I said Charlie."

Santana glances back at Puck for a moment before flicking her eyes to Charlie who merely shrugs like she has no idea what Puck is talking about. Whatever, this was important and she at least _owed_ it to Charlie to give her a heads up. She pushes open the door to the locker room and shoves Charlie inside.

"Well if you just wanted to skip dinner and just have me naked—" Charlie trails off as Santana shoots her an unamused look. She sighs and moves to take a seat on the bench. "Fine, if you're not here for sex and you're not here to let me take you to dinner then why are you here?"

Santana sighs. "I fucked up." Charlie simply quirks her brow in surprise, the only indication that she processed Santana's rapid confession. "My mom recently found out why I broke our bond the first time we tried. She got it in her head that your father needed to know."

"What?"

"I thought it was time she knew. She's been pushing me with Dani and blamed you for leaving, I needed her to back off and realize it wasn't entirely your fault." Santana rushes to explain. "I didn't tell her everything, just enough so that she'd get the idea."

"Why haven't you mated with your new alpha?" Charlie asks bluntly, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her until she knows what she's dealing with. It matters, if she has a shot with Santana still, she's going to take it. If Santana was gossiping just for the sake of it—then there would be hell to pay. It's weird, she realizes with a start, the almost soothing influence Santana has on her even without the bond.

Santana cringes. "I don't believe that's any of your business anymore."

"It is if it makes you tell your _mother_ anything about me." Charlie retorts. "So what is it—is she ugly? There's no way that she's as strong as I am. She's got to be ugly."

"She's _not_ ugly." Santana counters right away. Dani was hot, super-hot, and maybe if she had met Dani before Charlie had ever been in the picture, then things would be different.

Charlie smirks. "Okay, what is it then? Is she a loser? She's got to have—"

"Stop. It doesn't matter."

"There's got to be something wrong with her." Charlie presses, aware that Santana's growing more and more agitated by the second. "Does she—"

"She's not _you_." Santana blurts out, curling her lip up in distaste at the confession. She just needed Charlie to stop. She refuses to take the words back, even when Charlie grins smugly.

"I see."

"Not that it changes anything." Santana crosses her arms over her chest. "I like Dani, and Dani likes me. I don't have to chase after her just to convince her to spend time with me, and I _certainly_ don't have to worry that one mistake will torpedo our entire relationship."

Charlie frowns at the accusation. "But you want to be with me."

"Of course I wanted to be with you, you're my _mate_ , Charlie. And whether you believe in that shit or not, it matters. Well, at least I thought it did."

"Santana—"

"Look, I just wanted to give you the heads up so you weren't taken off guard. I tried to convince my mom to keep her mouth shut, but she's a goddamn know-it-all."

Charlie frowns. She hadn't ever wanted her father to know, but suddenly that threat seems to pale in comparison to the idea that Santana might walk out the door and not look back. She bites her lip, chewing on it. She shouldn't be the one to apologize. Santana had lied to her. It wasn't some simple mistake, it had been her life. "Have dinner with me," she repeats again looking at Santana.

"Charlie." Santana sighs. "You don't get to do this anymore. I'm with Dani now and there's nothing you can say or—"

"I _missed_ you." Charlie interrupts watching as Santana's mouth snaps closed. "I missed you, every single day I thought about you and I'm sorry. So _please_ , have dinner with me."

Santana stared for a moment, Charlie's voice had been quiet and rather demure for her. "You can't just walk back into my life and just try and pretend that everything between us is okay. That you didn't leave me alone and I talked to Quinn you left Harper too. I can't deal with that Charlie. I need stability in my life, I need to know that my partner isn't going to just up and disappear on me. I need to know that my partner isn't going to freak out on me and right now—Dani might not be you, but I _trust_ her more than I trust you."

"I'm your mate."

"It doesn't matter, you showed me that it didn't matter. I'm sorry but I don't know what to tell you," Santana responded. In a few months Charlie would leave New York and that would be it. She would be able to mate with Dani without this terrible feeling guilt. She didn't have anything to feel guilty about. "I _need_ to be a priority, I told you this and I think that part of the reason you're so adamant about this working is because there is another alpha in my life."

"That's not—"

Santana held up her hand, "If you think about it then you're going to realize that it's at least partially true. So like I said I just came here to make sure that you were aware that your father is going to know. I owed you the truth and this is it. I'm sorry, I know how important this was to you. But I have to get going I have a surgery scheduled in half an hour and I still need to scrub in." Santana pulls back despite the growing urge to comfort Charlie who had a lost look on her face. "I'll see you around I guess," she mumbles before taking a step back and turning around. She needed to get out of here before she did something stupid.

Charlie watched her step closer to the door and blurted out the question before she could stop herself. "And this Dani? She makes you a priority?"

Santana stops but doesn't turn around. That fact alone gives Charlie hope. Maybe this whole mess can be salvaged. Maybe she still has time. "She tries." Santana admits stumbling forward aware that Charlie's eyes are on her the whole time. She finally makes it to the door and pulls it open.

"Choose me."

The words cause Santana to finally turn around and look at Charlie, it's a mistake to look at her and she takes a step towards her for a split moment. That face, the pleading it was nearly too much. She practically needs to tear her face away and she quickly stumbles out the door, "Goodbye Charlie." She begins the long walk back to her car and she know she can feel everyone's eyes on her. She ignored it, just like she ignored the fact that if Charlie just came after her she'd break so easily. Which was why she was both grateful and irritated that Charlie hadn't asked again.

~O~

Harper eyed her mom carefully before finally reaching over to hold her hand, "You okay mom?" Her mom usually asked her a million questions about what she had learned about in school that day and she wasn't used to her being _this_ quiet. When her mom doesn't answer right away she frowns and tugs her mom's arm. "You don't have to leave already do you? You just got back!"

"No, I'm not leaving yet. I promised three months Harper and I meant it. I'm not taking any last minute fights or anything, I'm just thinking about stuff." Charlie admits smiling at her daughter.

"Uh-oh," Harper mumbled and looked away when her mom turned to look at her.

"What do you mean 'uh-oh'?" Charlie demanded stopping and pulling her daughter to a stop too.

"Well the last time you thought said that you decided to see what would happen if you mixed kool-aid with eggs and ham to see if you could make green eggs and ham. I don't know why you didn't just use food coloring." Harper reminds her mother trying not to smile. "You really need to take cooking lessons from grandma."

Charlie grumbles at her daughter, "You're lucky you're still cute," she mumbles and Harper laughs. Charlie swallows for a moment and studies her daughter poking her in the cheek. "You're still cute," she mumbles mostly to herself. "Maybe if you ask Santana to dinner for me, she'll say yes."

Harper crinkled her nose. "You want to use me to help you get a date with Santana?"

"Yes? I mean you still like Santana right?" Charlie asks after a moment, crossing her fingers and hoping that Harper said yes.

"Yeah I do, but I thought that you were super mad at her." Harper eyed her mom.

"It was a misunderstanding," Charlie informed her daughter dismissively and Harper gives her a suspicious look before nodding. "So is that a yes to helping me score a date with Santana?"

Harper grinned at her mom wanting to agree with her immediately but pausing and patting her mom's hand. "I can't be your wingman."

Charlie blinks, "Wingman? Who the hell taught you about— _Puckerman_." She was going to murder him.

Harper nods and smiles at her mom still patting her hand gently. "I want to help but you probably shouldn't be hiding behind your omega daughter to help you get a date. You're an _alpha_ mom."

Charlie groans, "When did you get so smart?"

"I've _always_ been smart," Harper laughs before tugging her mom to the door. "You'll see 'cause my report card is coming out next week." She's about to say something when she notices Russell Fabray standing outside their door. "Pop-pop!" Harper pulls away from her mom not noticing the look on her face as she launches herself towards Russell who immediately wraps her in a tight hug. "What are you doing here?"

Russell hugged his granddaughter and was about to pick her up when Charlie's voice rang out. "Careful dad, I'm not carrying you to the ER if you throw your back out."

Russell rolls his eyes, "Your grandmother has a book club tonight, so I've come to take you both out to dinner and maybe do something fun as a family."

Harper crinkled her nose, but looked at her mom who had opened the door for her. "Can we?"

"Yeah, go get washed up and change out of your uniform," Charlie says casually dismissing her daughter who didn't seem to notice as she raced inside, leaving her alone with her father. She sighed and turned to her dad who was watching her closely. "Santana said that—" She cleared her throat, "that you know."

He nodded, her normally strong and almost overbearing father looking almost impossibly small. "I do."

"So let's hear it." Charlie waves with her hand, mentally preparing herself for the onslaught. What could he possibly say that she hadn't already said to herself? It would hurt more hearing it from someone else, especially from her father, but better to get that out now then to do it once Harper was around. She was a terrible alpha, weak and incompetent. It was a marvel that Harper had turned out as awesome as she did.

But Russell surprised her. Instead, he wrapped his long strong arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. Charlie tried to pull away, only for him to continue to hold her for a few seconds. "I'm _so_ sorry." He breathed, clinging to her like if he let go she would float away.

"I—what?" Charlie pulled away successfully this time to get a good look at her father. All of the looks of hate and disgust that she had expected were missing.

"I let you down. As your father and as the alpha of this family."

Charlie frowned this wasn't what she was expecting and she didn't like it. She would rather he yell at her, and tell her that she was a failure as an alpha. "No I was—"

"You aren't weak Charlie, I failed you. Something terrible happened to you and I—you felt like you couldn't come to me and tell me. I'm your father even when you're a hundred years old, I'm still going to be your alpha and it was my job to protect you. I didn't. I couldn't protect you and I couldn't avenge you. You didn't have to do this all by yourself."

"I'm an alpha. I should have been able to—"

"No. You were a _child_ and you are an alpha who is smart and capable of taking care of her family." Russell assured. "I'm sorry I didn't see it before."

Charlie glanced around the room for some sort of inspiration as to how she was supposed to respond to that. "Um, it's okay."

"Who was it?"

"Sorry?"

"Give me a name." Russell ordered, his voice lower and more threatening than she had ever heard.

Charlie swallowed taking a step back, "It was years ago and—it doesn't matter anymore. I'm over it." The lie sounded obvious even to her own ears and she flushed in embarrassment. Only her father could make her feel like a child again and she wanted to go hide under her bed. She didn't want to be dealing with this now. This was all Quinn's fault.

"A name." Russell repeats, even if he was several years too late he needed his daughters and his family to know that he would always have their backs. "Charlie."

Charlie swallowed and looked away, "It was my soccer coach—Sandy Ryerson," she admits after a moment. It's the first time that she's said his name in years and immediately she feels sick. The memories flooding back to her.

Russell frowned for a moment thinking back, it would explain why she had stopped playing soccer and her irrational hatred of all betas. He barely remembered the coach, he had thought the man had always been a bit odd and flamboyant. He certainly didn't seem like the type to be interested in women—he stops and looks at Charlie for a moment, suddenly understanding. She had probably been the only girl at that camp that was different. Of course his girls had never been ashamed of their bodies, it wasn't as if it was rare but it made sense that he would target Charlie. "I'll _kill him_."

"No," Charlie said immediately putting her hand on her father's arm. " _No_. You're not going to kill him. Harper needs her grandfather and mom needs her mate and Quinn needs someone to suck up to. I am not taking my daughter to visit you in prison." She exhales slowly. "I'm _okay_ more or less, I'm _okay_. You don't need to avenge me, you don't need to do anything."

Russell frowned, "He _ruined_ your life and I was too busy thinking that you were simply rebelling and falling in with the wrong crowd. But—"

"Look at my life dad, I have an amazing daughter and I have a job that I like most days out of the year. I make decent money now that I've gone professional, and yeah things could be better and yeah my sanity when I was younger was a bit touch and go for a moment but I'm _okay_. I've been okay ever since—" Charlie quieted down. Ever since she had met Santana she hadn't had a single nightmare. She hadn't had any of her bad days. "Ever since I met Santana."

"A good omega will do that for you," Russell said looking at her. "Why do you think I've been on your case to find one?"

Charlie frowns for a moment, she was quickly realizing that. She turns her head to Harper who had finally returned. "I know, but Harper won't help me get a date with her."

Russell raised a brow, Maribel had made it abundantly clear that she wanted Charlie to step aside and let her daughter be happy with Dani. "You planned to use your daughter to get a date?"

"She's still cute and Santana likes her, I'd be an idiot to not use that to my advantage."

Harper tugged on Russell's arm, "I told her that she shouldn't hide behind me if she wants to impress Santana."

"I agree, you should listen to your daughter Charlie," Russell informed his daughter, smiling when Harper grinned and poked Charlie in the side. "Don't worry though, we'll help you brainstorm ideas to win back Santana." Russell smiles.

"Does this involve kicking this Dani's ass?" Charlie grumbles.

"I wouldn't, she's an assistant district attorney," Russell informs her. "I can however have a file on my desk tomorrow about her so we'll know everything about her."

Charlie nods, she needed to know everything about this Dani person if she was going to win back her Santana.


	22. Chapter 22

Santana loved cooking. It was something that she had done with her abuela nearly every day until her abuela had passed away. Now that she was a world-class surgeon, she simply didn't have the time to cook for herself or another person. She certainly didn't do the homemaker bullshit that many alpha's expected their omegas to do. Charlie had never expected her to cook for them but she had simply taken over because no child should be forced to eat macaroni and cheese for dinner every day, or take-out. It was no wonder Harper enjoyed going to her grandparents' house for food.

She frowns for a moment, the smile from her face fading. She shouldn't be thinking about Charlie. She had _Dani_ now. Dani who could eat whatever was on her plate without counting calories. So she had prepared a feast for her girlfriend and future mate. Santana pulled off the lid so she could check the rice, inhaling deeply at the wonderful smell that filled her kitchen. Shrimp asopao, it was her abuela's secret recipe and she _rarely_ made it. But she needed to get serious about mating with Dani.

Her phone vibrates and she reaches for it immediately, hoping that it's Dani telling her why she was late. Instead it's just a stupid text from Tina about some date that she was on. She rolls her eyes, she should have _never_ given Tina her phone number or email. Every day she got bombarded with random videos of weird shit that she never needed. It was almost as bad as Brittany sending her an insane amount of cat videos, and once you started watching them she really couldn't stop.

Dani was already two hours late and hadn't sent her a single message with an explanation. She understood getting lost in work but this was getting ridiculous. Dani had promised that she'd be here on time for once, but she was late again. Yes once in awhile shit happened but she had gone out of her way to make this night special including some expensive lingerie, which she had been wearing for far too long. She poured herself another glass of wine and brought it to her lips, she didn't want to think about Charlie.

What she _wanted_ was for her damn girlfriend to show up, eat her food talk about her day and then—a sharp knock at the door causes Santana to pull pull away from the stove and walk to her door. She checked who it was through the peephole before opening the door. "You're _late_ ," she grumbles.

"I know, I'm so sorry." Dani breezed past Santana with a peck on her cheek. "I got caught up with work. It's been a really crazy day."

Her own words to Charlie earlier seem to haunt her mind, but Santana shrugs off the connection. "I had to do a rotator cuff repair, a hip replacement and I did a knee replacement, so you're not the only one that had a crazy day."

Dani sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do we really have to do this now?"

"We wouldn't have to do this at all if it had been _two hours_ ago, but now, yeah. We're doing this now."

"I had to bug Judge Tanaka for a last-minute warrant, but since he is an ignorant moron, I had to explain our probable cause like a million times before he finally agreed. My day has been nothing but trial prep, jury selection and reading through piles of useless interns' research, so I love you, Babe. I really do. But I'm just not in the mood to fight tonight." Dani slipped off her heels, grunting in pleasure as she flexes her bare feet against the cool tile in Santana's main room. "So can we _please_ just have a relaxing night? We can worry about everything else later."

"The problem is, it's always like this. Is this how it's going to be forever? Me waiting for you to show up?" Santana frowned. She hadn't been lying to Charlie, she needed to be a priority. And for all of Dani's great qualities, she wasn't imbuing Santana with a lot of confidence right now.

"Of course not," Dani responded. "I don't plan on being an assistant DA forever, your mom has to retire _sometime_ and once she does I need to be the front-runner. From there, maybe I can even get a district court appointment if I'm lucky. Judge Harper has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" She teased playfully. "How would you feel about being mated to a _judge_?"

"My mom isn't going to retire until she dies at her desk or they drag her out kicking and screaming." Santana doesn't address Dani's actual question, too annoyed with Dani to just drop it. Her mom has never had aspirations for more than the DA's seat, but Santana knew in part that was because of the long hours she'd have to put in to get that sort of notoriety.

Dani smiles placatingly, which sets Santana's teeth on edge. "I know. So if I'm ready to move on before she is, then I've got to start making the connections now. Donors, backers, people who know the people who make appointments."

People like the Fabrays. Santana paled at the thought. In no way did she think Dani was trying to use her for her ties to Charlie and Quinn—Dani didn't even _know_ about them. But the Fabrays were the type of family with connections, the very connections Dani was talking about. And yet again damn Fabrays were ruining her life. "I see."

Dani nods eagerly. "As district attorney your mom has rubbed elbows with the right people. She knows some of the political bigwigs and more importantly the people with the purse strings to make things happen. Can you imagine them starting a Super Pac for me?" Santana doesn't seem particularly impressed and she shrugs deciding to change the subject onto something more neutral. "Did you know your mom knows Russell Fabray? I overheard her assistant talking about a meeting that they had. You don't think your mom is going to, you know—run for office?"

Santana rolled her eyes, "No, my mom _likes_ being the district attorney, she doesn't want to become a politician. She doesn't have the disposition for it, her words not mine."

"You don't become the district attorney without being able to play politics," Dani pointed out, "And like I said she had a meeting with Russell Fabray. You know who that is?"

"Russell Fabray is a cheap-ass, so even if my mom _was_ going to run for public office, she certainly wouldn't go to him for a handout." Santana responds with a shrug. She pauses for a moment at Dani's gaze, "My mom and Russell are old friends." Before Dani can say anything she waves her hand towards the food that she had made. "I made dinner, and there's some wine left if you want to eat. I'm going to take a bubble bath." Tonight was a bust and she wasn't sure if she liked this ambitious side of Dani. She felt like a hypocrite, she was just as ambitious. That didn't mean that she wanted it in a partner.

* * *

Charlie fiddled with the cuff of her suit jacket. She felt a little ridiculous, definitely overdressed for the hospital's surgical staff room. She had asked a nurse to find Santana for her, she didn't think Santana would like her just wandering the hospital calling her name until she showed up. She didn't want to embarrass Santana, which was why she was dressed in this monkey suit. "This is ridiculous, why did I let them talk me into this?" Charlie grumbled even though she knew why. Harper had enjoyed going shopping and helping her pick out this outfit, plus she was desperate to get Santana to give her another chance. She turned her head ever so slightly when she heard someone approaching and was filled with the scent of her mate and she immediately smiles and waits for Santana.

"What are you doing here?" Santana asked, her eyes narrowing. She really didn't have time for this and she was still annoyed at Dani for last night. "Here to ask me out for dinner?"

Charlie grinned. "Nope. I'm here to give you a card." She handed over the homemade item that Harper had slaved over last night. "I promised Harper I'd deliver this for you."

"Using your kid to get close to me?" Santana watched Charlie skeptically. "That's low, even for you."

Charlie held up her hands defensively. "Hey, I'm just respecting your boundaries, unless you change your mind?"

"No." Santana folds her arms over her chest, accepting the card and continuing to eye Charlie. "If that's true, then what's with the ridiculous getup?"

"It's not ridiculous." Charlie frowned. "It's _suave_. And it's not for _you_ , my Dad set me up with some model." She lied, following the script her father and daughter had approved of. Apparently she needed to let Santana have a little jealous. Whatever.

"A model?" Santana bit down on the irritation that seemed to bubble up at the admission. "That's _great_."

"But since you keep saying no to dinner, let me take you to lunch." Charlie smiled charmingly, "My treat."

Santana frowned, "You have a date," she points out bluntly.

Charlie winced at Santana's tone. She _knew_ this plan was stupid. But instead of bailing she doubled down and shrugged. "It's not as important as spending time with you."

"Oh great, just want I wanted to be your second choice. Just what every omega wants to hear." Santana snarks pushing Charlie away. "Tell Harper thank you for the card."

"So that's a no for lunch?" Charlie asked needing Santana to clarify and judging from the lethal glare that Santana shoots her she quickly realizes the answer. "Yeah, that's a no."

Santana turns back and is about to march out the door when the anger that she had been carrying explodes. "Did you _really_ think that's what I wanted to hear?"

"Huh?"

"That you're already replacing me, just like that? Like it's so fucking easy for you?" Santana turns around and marches back up to Charlie who has a very confused look on her face. "Then you have the fucking _audacity_ to dangle the fact that you have a fucking date with a model in my face. One that you got dressed up for, something that you _never_ once did for me. Which shows me just how much you truly cared about me!"

"Uh—" Charlie begins only to have another finger poke her in the chest hard. "Ow."

"And what's worse is that you have the _gall_ to do it at my place of employment," Santana poked Charlie hard in the chest again.

"Ow—Santana wait, I'm just trying to make you jealous." Charlie says stumbling back and rubbing her chest. "There is no other woman, I just—I _thought_ if I made you jealous you'd try and I don't know—you'd want to spend time with me."

Santana stops for a moment, her mind finally catching up with what Charlie had just said. Charlie had always been a bit dim at times, and she normally chalked it up to all the blows that she took to the head and the multiple concussions that she had suffered, but this was a terrible plan. Even if it did make her feel a bit better that Charlie hadn't just given up. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Charlie flushed in embarrassment. "This is why we can't be together."

"Because you keep saying no to something we both know you want?"

"Excuse you? The reason why we can't be together is because you're a dick who just admitted to trying to manipulate me into a date. How the _fuck_ did you manage to get a girl pregnant? I mean you don't seem to have the correct social skills to—" Santana trailed off as Charlie invaded her personal space and managed to push her against the door.

"Stop," Charlie murmured, her voice low and husky as she stared directly into Santana's eyes. She didn't blink, "You're not mad at me, so don't take it out on me, you don't want to be my mate remember?"

It took all of her willpower to not lean forward and kiss her mate. So that's how she had done it, she must have had her pick of partners. She could already feel the arousal pooling and she couldn't help but nod, her head getting fuzzy as their pheromones mixed. "You're a dick."

"I know," Charlie responds simply. "Have lunch with me?"

She wants to say yes. What with Charlie doing that _thing_ that she does, with the pheromones and the voice and that damn look, and those fucking eyes and she smelled so fucking good. "I— _fuck_ ," Santana shoves Charlie back a bit. "I _can't_."

"Why?" Charlie presses.

"I _have_ a girlfriend? Fuck I smell like you—" Santana glances up to see a smug smile on Charlie's face and she smacks her arm hard. "That isn't something to be proud about. She'll think I cheated."

"Am I supposed to feel contrite?" Charlie asks raising a brow when Santana looks at her. "I don't. You're not _hers_ , you're _my_ mate. Tell her to find someone else and come to lunch with me."

Santana hesitates for a moment before swatting Charlie again, causing the alpha to frown. "You need to leave Charlie. _Please_. Just go." She couldn't do this, she was angry at Dani and if Charlie decided to do whatever the hell that was again she wouldn't be able to resist. God damn Fabray's they always made her life so fucking difficult.

Charlie pauses for a moment before nodding. "Okay." She wasn't going to push her mate into something that she would regret. She had already done it before and she didn't want to do it again. "Lunch still stands you know. Or dinner. Or breakfast—or brunch." Charlie adds after a moment before pulling away from Santana and walking away despite the urge to stay.

Santana shivered for a moment, and tried not to watch Charlie leaving but she couldn't take her eyes off her. "Fucking Fabrays," she mumbles under her breath. They were going to be the death of her. Especially since she was certain that Dani was going to smell Charlie on her and that would start a huge fight. She hadn't thought it was going to be this hard and now Dani was going to flip out and accuse her of shit she couldn't control. She wouldn't be wrong to either. She should have just ignored Charlie that would have been the smart thing to do.


	23. Chapter 23

Santana cringed when her phone buzzed, signifying that Dani was waiting for her downstairs in the cafeteria. "Please tell me I don't smell like Charlie," she said turning to Tina despite knowing the answer.

Tina glanced up at Santana from her paperwork. "You've asked that five times and the answer still hasn't changed. Yes, you do. What were you thinking?"

"For the last time, I didn't cheat. Charlie just entered my personal space and it's been over a year my body just reacted and—"

"I was talking about Dani. You could have cancelled lunch with her." Tina watched as Santana frowned at the idea. It probably hadn't occurred to her. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted Dani to get jealous."

"Don't be ridiculous, of course I don't." Santana denied. She didn't _want_ Dani to be jealous, but it would be nice to see her future alpha be a little possessive. It would just help confirm that she really was making the right decision.

Tina looked at her closely and then rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You'd better get down there and face the music, then."

Santana sighed, knowing she was right. She couldn't just delay the inevitable forever. Hopefully having a lunch in a crowded public place would keep Dani from turning the argument into too much of a spectacle. "Just be honest?"

"Well, I personally wouldn't start a conversation with 'hey my _real_ alpha is in town, and she's trying to claim me'. But I suppose you could stretch the truth by saying that you got cornered by an alpha. Which is _true_. I mean if you want to have some hot possessive sex. Though at this point if you want to be fulfilled I'd go with Charlie."

"I thought you were team Dani?"

"I'm team whoever keeps you in a good mood. You're a _bitch_ when you're annoyed. Well, more so than usual." Tina turned back to her paperwork. "Which is why you need to have sex with Charlie, because you've been sexually frustrated and Dani clearly isn't getting it done for you."

"Fuck you." Santana grabs her phone and turns to storm away. Dani was just _fine_ , and _no_ she was not sexually frustrated.

"Maybe that's why she's not getting it done for you." Tina teased. "What you need is for _her_ to fuck _you_."

Santana growled but stormed away. She didn't need to put up with Tina's teasing, especially not when she was already nervous about how Dani was going to react. She pushed the elevator button firmly, and after waiting impatiently for the elevator, she gave up on it and took the stairs. She _needed_ to get this over with. After storming her way down the stairs, she finally pulled up just outside the cafeteria.

"Santana over here," Dani waved her over from where she was sitting down two trays in front of her.

Santana exhaled slowly, this was a fucking nightmare but at least the cafeteria was just as busy as it normally was. She approached the table slowly, "We could have gone to a restaurant; you know I hate the food in here."

"I know but I have to take a statement from one of the patients here, and then I have a deposition. Don't worry I'll make it up to you tonight. I promise to be on time," Dani looked up and flashed Santana smile.

Santana waited for Dani's smile to fade, she knew Dani could smell Charlie on her—even if Dani had never met Charlie. But it never happened. Dani continued to watch Santana, waiting for some reply.

"Besides, the food isn't _that_ bad." Dani speaks up causing Santana to roll her eyes.

"It _is_." Santana stresses, frowning. Dani was supposed to notice, she was supposed to _care_.

How the hell was she supposed to bond with someone who wouldn't even _care_?

Dani sighs at Santana's frown, assuming that Santana was still annoyed at lunch in the cafeteria. "Come on, I'll take you somewhere fancy this weekend. And tonight I'll be all yours." She promised. Work was just super busy right now.

"Will you?" Santana challenged. "Oh great, that will be my lucky day."

Dani frowned, "Are you mad about the cafeteria food, or are you still mad about last night? I said I was sorry, work's been insanely busy Santana. I want to spend time with you, trust me you think I want to spend time talking to idiotic judges and trying to do prep witnesses for their testimony? No. I'd much rather spend time with you."

Santana eyed Dani carefully, she really hadn't noticed. "No this isn't about last night, this isn't about the stupid cafeteria food. This is about the fact that you haven't noticed that I smell like another alpha. Have you even _noticed_?"

"Of course I noticed! Wait, you're mad because I trust you?" Dani furrowed her brow. Santana came home smelling like various alphas all the time. Oftentimes, even scrubbing out from surgery couldn't mask the scent that she had been elbow deep in an alpha all afternoon. Dani had noticed the smell right away, but just like every other time she pushed it away.

"I'm mad because I need to be your priority." Santana clarifies. She shouldn't have to spell this out for every stupid alpha in her life, but she would do it if it meant that she could finally get what she needed from a partner.

"I'm here eating crappy cafeteria food with you, I'm sorry if work has been hectic this week but I _swear_ that I'll be at your place on time." Dani promised. "I know things have been rough lately but I promise that they'll get better soon." Dani sighed when Santana frowned. "You are a priority Santana, I wouldn't be here if you weren't. I want to mate and start a family with you. I'm just waiting until you're ready—are you ready?"

"What I am is _annoyed_. I don't want to mate with someone who doesn't appreciate me, who doesn't do everything in her power to make me a priority. Yeah work sucks, yeah you might be late that shit happens. You know what you could do? Text me. Or leave a message. Something that lets me know that you care enough so I don't waste my time. Hell unless there's some accident and I'm beyond swamped or I'm elbow deep inside someone, I'd text you. Or have someone call you."

Dani held up her hands, "Okay, you're right." She concedes. Santana isn't her original mate, and even though it's great between them, she needs to remember that sometimes she has to make extra effort.

"Damn straight I'm right." Santana snaps at her and sighs. She was being ridiculous, Dani didn't understand what was going on with her.

Dani frowned something wasn't adding up, "Did something happen that I need to be worried about? Because you always sort of smell like other alphas, I didn't think anything of it."

Santana bites her lip, "An alpha cornered me but don't worry I dealt with it and they left me alone." For now, she had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time that she'd be seeing Charlie or any of the damn Fabray's.

"Wait you got cornered by an alpha? Don't you have hospital security? Was it a crazy person?" Dani frowned at the thought of some mentally ill person attacking her soon-to-be mate.

Santana relaxed for a moment, "I'm fine. I guess I was just shaken up—" she winced inwardly she was going to hell for lying to Dani. "I'm sorry for taking it out on you. Just be on time."

"I can do that." Dani nods right away, taking Santana's hand and rubbing the back of it with her thumb soothingly. She would make the effort.

* * *

Santana rolls her eyes but let's Dani open the car door for her. She'd been somewhat surprised that Dani had actually listened to her earlier fury and had been there to pick Santana up from work. It wasn't a big deal, but it was nice to see she had gone to the effort. "Thank you."

"It's no problem, I didn't know if that alpha was going to come back." Dani frowned, it had been easy to get the night off after she had mentioned it to Maribel. It wasn't something that she could do every time that she and Santana fought but Maribel had wanted to make sure that her daughter was okay.

"Hopefully not. I think she got the message that I was taken." Santana muttered, at least she hoped that Charlie was finally throwing the towel in. She just wanted her life to go back to what it had been without all these damn complications. "Maybe we should order a pizza after—"

"Santana! Took you long enough."

Santana cringed even as Dani stepped in front of her protectively. "Is this the alpha from earlier?" Dani growled, the scent was close and Dani wasn't about to let Santana be taken advantage of.

Santana put her hand on Dani's arm, "No. She's just—don't worry about it." She assured, turning to the intruder and frowned. "What the fuck are _you_ doing here, Fabray?" She sneered at her former friend. It was her fault her life had been turned upside-down this week.

Dani froze. "Fabray? As in Russell Fabray?" This was her dream come true.

Quinn cocked her head, studying the new alpha. So _this_ was the new girlfriend. She didn't seem all that tough. "Russell Fabray is my father." She turned to Santana, smirking at the way the girlfriend's eyes seemed to widen excitedly.

"Don't make a big deal about it, her ego is already so big it has its own zip code." Santana rolls her eyes.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Just like the size of your ass." She retorted playfully.

Santana twitched and then exhaled. Her ass was fantastic. "I asked you a question, what the _hell_ are you doing here? Standing out here like a stalker—did the hobbit kick you out?"

"No, Rachel didn't kick me out. If you answered your phone when I called then I would be at home, inside my—"

" _Gross_. I don't want to hear about lizard hobbit sex, just get to the point. Why are you here?"

"To invite you to my parents' house, there's going to be a boring charity event at my parent's summer home this weekend." Quinn smirks smugly. She can see the gears turning in Santana's mind, as if she's aware that she's being manipulated. Whatever. Her parents were jumping at the chance to help make situations where Santana could run into Charlie.

"I'm not your wife so why in the world would I want to go to that?" Santana respond right away. The Fabrays can throw a great party when they want to, but she doesn't want to admit that, especially not to Quinn.

" _Santana_." Dani hissed. This was the event of the year and she knew different attorneys in her office that would give their right arm to score an invite. She had no idea Santana had ties to the Fabrays, otherwise she would have been pestering her about this for weeks.

"Because it's for a good cause. My mom is hosting it, and she misses you. Your mother already said that she and your father were coming. I'm supposed to make sure you come. So here I am. Free fancy food, and really good booze. You _love_ these events." Santana couldn't fool her. They had spent many a party in college, gossiping in the corner of the ballroom.

Santana frowned, she really did like the free food and they had the best booze. She glances at Dani who is practically vibrating with excitement. "Fine, whatever text me the details."

"Excellent, I'll tell my mother, next time save me a trip and pick up your damn phone." Quinn snapped at Santana. "Now excuse me, I need to go help my kid with her homework."

Santana bit her lip, "Is, you know who going to be there?" She couldn't help but ask, she didn't want to deal with any drama or having Charlie and Dani crossing path.

"You know who?" Dani repeated frowning slightly.

"Lord Voldemort? Yes I'm sure there will be a few old men who look like they're about to die walking around," Quinn said with a wave of her hand.

"Quinn." Santana pressed.

"When has she ever shown up to these events?" Quinn asked with a roll of her eyes, despite the fact that she knew very well Charlie planned to be there.

Santana tilted her head, this wasn't Charlie's scene and if her entire family was going to be there—well Charlie didn't trust anyone _but_ her family to watch Harper. "Good, and I can bring Dani as my plus one?"

Quinn shrugged. She had been bullied into getting Santana to come, they hadn't said anything about her girlfriend coming alone. "Sure."

Dani beamed at the invitation, even though it hadn't really been extended to her. She immediately extended her hand out for Quinn. "It was nice meeting you."

Quinn quirked a brow toward Santana. "Yeah. I'm sure it was." She smiled politely and turned around, completely disregarding the outstretched hand.

Santana frowned and watched Quinn walk away. Why was she friends with that bitch? She glances over, fully prepared to apologize for Quinn's total lack of manners only to be met with a glare from her girlfriend. "What?"

"You said your mom was friends with her dad." Dani reminds, folding her arms over her chest. "You _never_ mentioned that you knew the Fabrays!"

"I didn't think it was important." Santana hedged. "Besides as you can see, Quinn's a bitch. I like to pretend I don't know her."

"She's super rich, of course she thinks she's better than us. I didn't actually expect her to shake my hand—isn't she mated to that Broadway actress?"

"The hobbit? Yeah, I get free tickets to all her shows and if I don't show up to at least one she'll bitch at me for _weeks_ until I agree to go. Like I have time to watch her sing and dance on stage." Santana sighed. "It's no big deal Dani, they're assholes just like the rest of us."

Dani frowns and nods, Santana didn't get it. The Fabray's had _connections_. She was sure Russell played golf with power brokers and knew just who to hire to make her _great_. "Right." She shakes her head for a moment and then nudges Santana. "So who is this 'you-know-who'?"

"Charlie Fabray," Santana said with a shrug. "Quinn's younger identical twin. She's a _dick_. She's a pain in my ass," Santana says with a wave of her hand dismissing the topic out of hand. "Now I just want to take my mind off today so how about you help distract me."

Dani laughs, "Sounds good to me," she said before leaning in and kissing Santana's cheek. "Race you upstairs."


	24. Chapter 24

Santana smiles politely as Dani introduces her to yet another stuffy old fogie who had more money than he knew what to do with. She's met most of these people before, not that they remember meeting Quinn's unclaimed omega friend, but it annoys her more than she'll admit how the conversation happens around her like she's some dumb bimbo.

"And what is it that you do, Miss Lopez?" The stuffy old man whose name Santana didn't bother to learn smiles condescendingly. He's probably expecting her to say something like she's a homemaker or a teacher or some other stereotypical omega career.

"Doctor Lopez." She corrects with faux politeness. "I'm a surgeon."

"For people?" He asks, taking a step back in surprise.

She grates her teeth and nods, annoyed that his assumption is anything else. She's a rock star in her field. She's fucking _published_. "Yes, I'm an orthopedic surgeon. For _people_." She clarifies. Dani grabs her hand, squeezing it in some silent apology that does nothing to stifle her annoyance.

"Wow, they let omegas do anything now. Don't they?"

Santana is about to rip into him, no matter the fact that he's probably older than dirt, and explain the fact that it didn't matter her status, she was a fucking _god_ and he'd better damn well understand that she had more talent in her little finger than he probably had in his whole body, when Dani tugs her gently. "Oh look, there's your parents. Maybe we should say hello." She turns to their unfortunate acquaintance, "You'll have to excuse us."

"Oh, absolutely." The man winks with a knowing grin. "It's a pleasure to meet a strong alpha like you, Miss Harper."

"Thank you." Dani smiles winningly, her chest puffing out just a little at having charmed another potential ally. "It was nice meeting you as well." She nods, carefully dragging Santana away before she has a chance to undermine her carefully laid plans. She guides Santana past the three other skeeves they had already met toward the punch bowl where Maribel was making polite conversation with Russell.

"You really should run for office. You know I won't vote for you because you're a democrat and all, but being the district attorney for as long as you have? Surely you must be bored," Russell began taking a sip of his champagne glass.

"Not everyone can afford to reinvent themselves when they're bored Russell," Maribel grumbled shaking her head. She knew Russell, if she ever threw her hat into the race, he'd mobilize an army to run against her.

"True, should have gone into the private sector. My company is hiring if you ever decide to switch sides and lose that pesky thing you call a conscience," Russell said with a wave of his hand tilting his head to Santana and nodding her head at her.

Carlos looked up from where he had been talking to Judy amiably, he was so used to Maribel and Russell competing and trading digs at one another that there really was no point in trying to stop them. "Mija! Enjoying the party?"

"Of course we are," Dani assured him looking at Santana carefully before turning to Russell Fabray and straightening herself up. "Dani Harper," she said introducing herself and extending her hand.

"Harper?" Judy spoke up causing Russell to turn to her and shoot her a knowing smirk. Judy's eyes flicked towards Santana. "Interesting choice," she murmured, choosing not to say anything else.

The comment went right over Dani's head as she kept her hand extended for Russell. She beamed as he slowly extended his own hand and gave her a limp handshake, it was disconcerting but at _least_ it was something. "Thank you for inviting us, it's a pleasure to meet you in person."

Russell studied Dani for a moment before turning to Maribel, he wasn't impressed with this alpha. She was conniving and almost smarmy. He didn't like it at all. "Yes well—"

"Ah, there she is," Judy interrupted her husband. He didn't have the patience for people who sucked up to him. He preferred results and this Dani person had the unfortunate position of being on Santana's arm, when Russell was of the opinion that Santana should be with Charlie. "Over here dear," Judy called out causing several heads to turn. "Doesn't she look positively dashing?"

Santana's mouth dried as Charlie turned to look at her mother and walked over to them, much to her general chagrin. This _couldn't_ be happening. Charlie looked positively stunning, with her slightly mussed up hair and the tailored black suit that showed off Charlie's lean frame. At some point in this long torture-filled night, she had rolled up the cuffs of her jacket and white undershirt to her elbows and loosened her tie, unbuttoning the collar of her shirt as well. On anyone else it might look unkempt, but on Charlie it made her look absolutely delicious.

"Mom, dad." Charlie greeted before turning to Santana's family. "Dr. Lopez, Mrs. Lopez," she tilted her head before finally resting her gaze on Santana. "Santana, you look very beautiful tonight."

Dani bristled at this, "Quinn," it came out as a low growl and she vaguely noticed Maribel smirking at the immediate protective tone. Dani could sense the threat, even though it logically didn't make sense.

Charlie tore her eyes away from Santana for a moment to look at Dani studying her. So _this_ was Dani Harper. She didn't see what was so great about her. She wasn't even strong, Charlie could totally take her. "Charlie. Quinn wishes she had my arms," Charlie corrected before turning back to Santana who bit back a snort.

Dani frowned, she had been so casually dismissed by this woman and it irritated her, especially how she was looking at Santana. She immediately pulled Santana closer, wrapping her arm tighter around Santana's waist. "Oh, so you're the pain in her ass."

It came off as a challenge and Charlie noticed the arm immediately. It took all her willpower to simply not throw Dani off Santana. In fact it took all of her courage to simply not grab Santana and drag her away from this stupid event and have her way with her upstairs in one of the rooms. Her _mate_ had someone else on her arm and it pissed her off to no end. She was about to point out that Santana _liked_ when she had been a pain in her ass. Had moaned her name over and over again, had torn up her back begging for more when she notices the look on Santana's face. She was embarrassed and there was that tinge of pleading. She didn't want a scene. "Of course, we're both stubborn." Charlie responds simply, nodding slightly to show Santana she understood. "We're bound to get on each other's nerves."

Dani's frown deepened at Charlie talking about Santana like they had some sort of _relationship_. That was her _girlfriend._ She takes a deep breath and counts to ten before smiling kindly. "Of course," she says after a moment, Charlie was the daughter of Russell Fabray after all. She's not about to ruin all of her hard work.

Santana swallows, she's trying to be mature and caring and maybe it's Charlie way of showing that her feelings were a priority for her. Maybe a year was all Charlie had needed to—

"Oh, they have those bacon things, I promised Harper I'd bring her back a plate," Charlie spoke up turning away from her and moving to where one of the servers was carrying a plate of d'oeuvres around.

Santana blinked, and then she did something like this and she noticed her father's amused smile and her mother shaking her head. It was classic Charlie, so maybe she hadn't changed _that_ much. Apparently liking bacon was just a Fabray thing. At least Charlie disappearing had made Dani relax.

Judy narrowed her eyes, watching the exchange. It took her only a few seconds to ascertain exactly the type of person Dani was. Overly ambitious, without anything to back it up. Perhaps dating Santana was a way to get close to Maribel, perhaps she actually liked Santana. It really didn't matter to her. "Oh look Russell isn't that Senator Sylvester? I didn't think she'd make it. You know she's gearing up for a presidential run." She slipped a painted smile onto her face as Dani's head whipped around looking for Senator Sylvester. It gave her enough time to shoot Santana a pointed look before turning to her husband. She had never really _liked_ Santana Lopez. Perhaps if she were more like Carlos, but Russell found her refreshing. Charlie was Santana's mate. Everyone here knew it and Santana knew it as well, the idea that she would bring someone else on her arm was simply the _height_ of rudeness as far as she was concerned.

Santana frowned and looked at her father, who simply flashed her a borderline amused smile before she was hauled off to be presented to random people she didn't really care to meet. "I'll see you later," she manages to get out before plastering a fake smile onto her face and following Dani.

~O~

"Hey, I'm going to go outside to grab a breath of fresh air." Santana whispered to Dani who just nodded, never taking her eyes from her next target. Santana rolls her eyes and slips away, deciding to head to the back of the house where Judy had most likely invested a lot of money in having an extremely gorgeous garden. Once out of the main reception area, she was grateful that she didn't run into anyone else, she didn't have the energy to put up with the fake emotional game-play. She closed the back door and frowned when Charlie's distinctive scent wafted toward her.

"She seems nice. A little boring, and power hungry, but nice." Charlie doesn't turn around from her spot on the balcony overlooking the ornate gardens.

Santana's feet moved toward Charlie of their own accord. "She isn't boring."

Charlie nods, and pours herself another dram. She's not sure why she showed up to this thing in the first place. She hates her parents' political ass-kissing, but her Dad had assured her that her presence here would be an important step forward to winning Santana back. What a joke. At least they had good booze.

"What's a girl got to do to get a drink around here?" Santana chuckles softly, rubbing her arms for warmth in the chilly autumn air. "Or are you going to drink that whole bottle?" She doesn't mention that the bottle probably costs around a thousand dollars. Tonight is a night for drinking.

"I've only got one glass." Charlie scratches her brow.

Santana raises a brow, "Who said I needed a damn glass?" Santana asked prying the bottle from Charlie's hand and bringing it to her lips.

Charlie watches as Santana takes a hefty swig of her booze and shakes her head slightly before looking out at the garden. "I hate it here," she admits after a moment. "Mom cared about the damn garden being on the cover of a few magazines that we weren't ever really allowed to play out here. It was fine, Quinn has allergies anyway. But it's probably why I hate these events so much. Just a bunch of people trying to impress other people and in the end it doesn't really matter you know?" She brings her glass to her lips and takes a sip.

Santana listens for a moment, before shaking her head. "You think _that's_ bad? Try being nothing more than someone's arm candy for the night. Listening to old men and women being surprised that I can be a surgeon and that I'm not a homemaker like your mom is."

"Dad took it as a matter of pride that his mate didn't have to work," Charlie shrugs, not everyone could afford such luxuries. "Besides—I sort of got used to the idea of being arm candy. It's not that bad you know."

Santana's brow furrowed and she looked at the bottle of scotch for a moment before looking back at Charlie, perhaps she had taken too much, her stomach was rather empty. "What are you talking about?" She's met with a small sad smile from Charlie.

"Oh come on Santana, surely you thought about dragging me to these fancy events. Or whatever the doctor equivalent to an office party is. Dressing me up all fancy so I can be nothing more than the alpha on your arm. You're a _surgeon_ , a damn fine one who is probably going to win a bunch of awards. I'd basically be your trophy wife."

Santana snorted. "You're kidding, right? If you knew me at all you'd know that I hate these things too. I'm hotter than all these pretentious bitches, probably more well-off too, and they expect me to, what? Dumb myself down so that I can seem sociable?" She scoffed, realizing she was already starting to feel the effects of the scotch, she shook her head and took a deep breath. Even thinking about mating with Charlie made her heart ache. She couldn't allow her thoughts to go down that road, not tonight and _especially_ not when she was plying herself with alcohol. "Whatever. Where's Harper?" She consciously tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.

If Charlie thought the change of subject was odd, she gave no indication. "With Puck. She misses you, though."

"I thought you weren't going to use Harper as some bargaining chip." Santana reminds her. Harper deserves better than that. She's a good kid—or at least she was, Santana's been trying to keep her distance.

"I'm not. It's the truth. She won't stop asking about you." Charlie finally looks over at her, "She doesn't know about me, does she?"

"Who?" Santana played dumb while she tried to wrack her brain for the right thing to say. She knew very well who Charlie meant—there was only one person who Charlie would care about that was here tonight.

Charlie leveled her with a knowing look. "You know who." And, just in case Santana was going to try to sidestep the question, she adds, "Dani."

Both of them are so engrossed in their conversation that they don't hear the patio door close softly. "No. She doesn't know about you." Santana admits, glancing away from Charlie and back at the serene view. She can't think about how the moonlight seems to highlight Charlie differently, making her features softer, gentler in the quiet stillness. "Thank you for not making a scene."

Charlie chuckles softly. "You're welcome. I didn't think it was possible for your mom to hate me any more than she does, but I definitely didn't want to give her a reason to."

"She just doesn't understand." Santana soothes quickly before she can stop herself. She winces at the instinct and clears her throat. "Besides, it's not like your mom likes me either."

That makes Charlie look up. She can't imagine anyone not liking Santana, but she admittedly hasn't been around for most of their interactions. "She doesn't."

"To be fair, it could be that I convinced Quinn to dye her hair pink in college." Santana smirks.

"That was _you_?" Charlie laughs.

"Yeah."

Charlie nods, not mentioning that the pink hair likely had nothing to do with it. Her mom was very traditional when it came to status and the proper role of an omega. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Santana grins.

Charlie finishes her drink and holds her glass out for more, which Santana pours for her. She frowns a bit noting that Santana was shivering and immediately places the glass down and pulls off her jacket holding it out for Santana. For once Santana didn't hesitate and just accepted what she had offered and it causes her to relax. She exhales softly, maybe this time Santana would just say yes. "Dinner? I know a place, it's really good, the atmosphere is great—and I promise it's not fast food and there is no bacon in anything in the menu."

Santana hesitates, this right now was _perfect_. This moment was perfect, they weren't arguing and they weren't fighting and it wasn't some sexually charged situation. It was just the _two_ of them enjoying a drink together. What she wouldn't give to have Charlie's arms around her at this moment, just the two of them looking at the moon together. "Charlie—" A low growl interrupts her and she feels her heart sink for a moment as she wheels around turning to face Dani. "Dani?" Immediately she moves to intercept Dani before she could do something _incredibly_ stupid. Attacking Charlie would qualify as stupid. Attacking Charlie at the Fabrays' party with hundreds of well-funded guests is an entirely different level.

Dani presses against Santana for a moment, pulling her away from the blonde who hadn't deigned to look at her. She didn't understand what was going on, but she felt _possessive_ , like she was going to lose her new mate. She had already lost one mate she definitely wasn't going to lose another one. "I came to see if you were doing okay—is she bothering you?" It was partially true, Maribel had asked where her daughter had wandered off to. She took a menacing step towards Charlie ignoring the fact that Santana immediately attempted to pull her back.

"Don't," Charlie's voice rang out. "You really don't need me putting you down."

Santana groaned and once again tried to position herself in front Dani to stop her from lunging. "Dani, I'm _okay_. We were just talking." Nothing had happened, and she had been about to let Charlie down gently again.

Dani puffed out her chest immediately, she could _feel_ her blood boiling and her competitive nature slipping out. "I'd like to see a pampered brat like you try."

Santana immediately tugged hard pulling Dani back. "It's time to go Dani," she hisses. "You can't do this here."

"I don't care who her father is," Dani protested looking at Santana. "It doesn't give her the _right_ —"

" _Dani_ ," Santana snaps at her again causing Dani to finally look at her. "We need to leave, let's just go say goodbye to my parents and we'll go home, _together_." She can't look at Charlie when she says this and even from here she can feel Charlie's body going rigid. It does however seem to placate Dani and it makes her easier to pull her back inside the Fabray's summer house. She can't help but spare a look back at Charlie who simply reached for the bottle and poured herself another drink. Santana bites her lip for a moment before shrugging off Charlie's jacket and placing it on the door handle for Charlie to retrieve when she felt like coming back inside. She sighed, before turning back to Dani who had her arm outstretched. She pauses for a moment before taking it. This is the life she has chosen, it's probably for the best.


	25. Chapter 25

Dani stormed into Maribel's office the following Monday, decorum and her usual attempts to show respect discarded. She had spent _all_ weekend attempting to get Santana to talk about what had happened. It took her a moment to realize that Charlie's scent was the damn scent that had been on her the other day. The only thing that Santana had promised was that _absolutely_ nothing had happened. For once she wasn't sure if she believed Santana.

Maribel flicked her eyes towards Dani and then turned her attention back to the documents that she had been pouring over. "Just because you and Santana are currently dating doesn't give you the right to simply barge in here like you own the place," she said calmly. "And while I approve of your relationship with my daughter, I am not here to listen to you complain about her—whatever your issue is figure it out with my daughter."

Dani shifted and glanced down for a moment at least pretending to be properly chastised generally worked with Maribel, but this wasn't something that could wait. This was urgent, Santana rarely ever rebuffed her advances and for them to go two days with Santana being incredibly distracted. "I tried to ma'am and I hate to put you into the situation but I simply wish to know _who_ the hell Charlie Fabray is. I've tried to do some research but I can't find anything on her, just that she's some fighter—"

Maribel frowned, honesty was key in any relationship and the idea that her daughter was being less than honest wasn't exactly something that she enjoyed hearing. "Charlie Fabray is Russell Fabray's youngest daughter. She isn't something that you should worry about."

"That's not what I saw the other night," Dani muttered under her breath and looked at Maribel carefully. "They have a history together don't they?"

"They do." Maribel allowed. If Santana hadn't shared the details with Dani, then it probably wasn't Maribel's place to reveal their past. But she could help Dani along as much as her conscience would allow.

Dani frowned when Maribel made no move to elaborate. She didn't want to accuse Santana of anything, especially since Maribel probably wouldn't take too kindly to the insult. "But it's over?" She stressed.

Maribel raised a brow, there was an insult in that question but she decided to let it slide. "Santana is _not_ stringing the two of you along. As far as I know she chose you, anything more and you're going to have ask Santana. But what I do know and what is common knowledge is that Charlie Fabray is damaged goods, who barely makes enough to support my daughter. She is a disaster that until recently depended heavily on her parent's charity. She of course might not see it that way but it's simply a fact."

"But Santana loved her?" Dani pressed. She desperately needed to know what she was up against.

"What Santana felt is immaterial. Charlie was the one that ended things, Charlie was the one that didn't pick up her calls, and made my daughter debase herself trying to get her attention." Maribel took a breath and shook her head, it wouldn't do to get angry. "Like I informed you earlier, Charlie is _damaged_ goods and you don't have to worry about her. Even when they were 'together' Charlie ignored my daughter to the point that it was nearly a medical emergency."

Dani's eyebrows arched in surprise. "So they never mated?" She tried to confirm. It was one thing for an alpha and an omega to have unresolved tension, but mating was _forever_.

Maribel frowned. A week ago, she would have been confident in denying that Charlie and Santana had ever made the attempt, but now she knew better. However, Santana never would have broken the bond—may never have even attempted the bond—if Charlie had been honest. In her books, that was the same thing as if they had never tried in the first place. "No, they never mated." She confirmed. The last thing she needed was to have Dani back off just because Charlie was some sort of looming threat.

Dani let out a breath of relief. She could work with that. "I should go tell her to lay off though. She cornered Santana at work the other day. Santana didn't say it was her but I smelt her. It was Charlie, I think she's been stalking Santana and you know how your daughter is."

Maribel sighed she did know how Santana was and this was the first time she'd heard about Charlie simply showing up at Santana's place of employment, and judging from Dani's reaction it was obvious Charlie was attempting to worm her way back into Santana's good graces. "Fine, Santana mentioned she trains in some old gym. Carlos probably has the address so I'll ask him and give you the information." Maribel picks up her documents again reading for a moment before tilting her head towards Dani. "Don't bite off more than you can chew. Her father is still Russell Fabray and he will make your life _exceedingly_ difficult if you're not careful."

Dani nods as she opens the door, "Of course, I just want to let her know that she needs to stay away from Santana, and she also needs to stop showing up at her place of work."

~O~

Santana frowned as she looked at the patient file, "Another arthroscopy might result in a frozen shoulder," she mumbles to herself and shakes her head. Shoulder surgeries were trickier but she would need to discuss the possible side effects with her patient. It was a good referral. This was his third surgery on the damn shoulder and yet another scope to check things out would be just as bad. "Maybe another MRI," she mused mostly to herself. "He definitely has a case against his physiotherapist."

" _Santana_!" Brittany said wrapping her arms around her tightly and pulling her into a hug from behind. Immediately Santana begins to struggle but she holds on tightly anyway. "You haven't come upstairs to visit me."

Santana frowns and keeps trying to break free even though she knows it's futile, "Brittany, let go! Aren't you pregnant again? You know pregnant people make me uncomfortable. You also know how much I hated my obstetrics and gynecology rotation."

Brittany rolls her eyes and puffs out her cheeks finally letting Santana go but immediately grabbing her arm and tugging her into an empty hallway. "It's hardly my fault that you found it traumatizing. Is that why you don't want kids?"

"I don't want kids because I'm horrendously vain and I don't want to be pregnant. We talked about this you can be pregnant for me. But then again I really don't like babies either. They look like aliens." Santana points out.

"They look like _babies_." Brittany rubbed the front of her protruding belly. She had always thought that once Santana met her mate that her former girlfriend would change her tune about starting a family. Apparently she was wrong. "But I'd totally be pregnant for you."

Santana snorted, of course Brittany would. She was like a little baby-making factory. "How many is that?"

"Fourth," Brittany responded happily. "We're probably going to stop for awhile. We're getting a bit overwhelmed." She tried not to roll her eyes at the look that Santana gave her. "But enough about me. I thought you might like to talk to someone."

"Uh," Santana looked around for any excuse she could use to escape. Finally, she sighed. "I hate talking, Britt."

"I know." Brittany laughed. "But that's why you probably need it. Tina said that your alpha came back?"

"Tina's a traitorous gossip." Santana grumbled. She needed to find new friends, clearly Tina had been a terrible choice. She narrowed her eyes when she realized exactly what Brittany had said. "Wait, she's not _my_ alpha."

"You mean Charlie's not back?" Brittany asked, feigning confusion.

"No. I mean she is. She's just—she's not my alpha." She settles on lamely.

"I'm confused, you don't have a bond anymore?" Brittany asks wrinkling her nose watching the gears turn in Santana's head. Tina was right, she probably had a lot going on and she probably did need someone t o talk to.

Santana sighed loudly and shook her head, "It's _complicated_ , besides it doesn't matter what I have with Charlie anymore. I'm _happy_ with Dani."

"So you've mated?" Brittany asks.

"Of course—" Santana was quiet for a moment before turning to Brittany who had an innocent look on her face. "Stop it. Stop psychoanalyzing me and tricking me into talking."

"I'm asking questions, I'm hardly tricking you," Brittany retorts and taps Santana's nose. "I'll be honest, I don't know if you're being stubborn to prove a point, even if it hurts you. Or if there is something that disqualifies Charlie from being your mate?"

"She _left_." Santana points out. "So yeah. She's definitely disqualified from being my mate."

Brittany sighs. "Santana, you know as well as I do that things aren't that simple. You can't just ignore chemistry and biology because your feelings got hurt.

"Assuming that my feelings got hurt, which they didn't. Maybe I just realized that I deserve someone that is dependable and someone who _wants_ to mate with me, who looks at me like I am the most precious thing in the world. Someone who knows how to forgive and isn't going to punish me for a mistake."

"And Charlie's incapable of doing that?" Brittany pressed.

"Damn it, Britt. I don't _know_. What I _do_ know is that Dani loves me. Dani has a good safe job where I don't have to worry about her getting brain damage from one too many concussions. I know that Dani isn't _Charlie_ , and from where I'm sitting, that's a pretty damn good thing. I'm not going to _cheat_ on my girlfriend just because someone who could have been my mate a lifetime ago suddenly popped back into the picture."

Brittany frowned. "San, I love you." She admits the uncomfortable truth both of them have largely ignored, hoping that it will startle Santana from her defensive rant. She just wants Santana to be _happy_. "I don't care if you chose Dani or Charlie or someone else off the street. But Charlie is your _mate_. Some people would say that you're cheating on _her_." She holds up her hand for what she is sure is a well-placed snarky comment. "But I'm sure Dani would even agree with me. If you are with Dani simply because she's _safe_ , then maybe you need to reevaluate your priorities."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means that you aren't a conventional omega. You have never wanted someone who told you what to do and didn't give you your independence. Charlie is your mate, your equal and if you want to reject that, fine." Brittany sighed. "But I have a lot of clients whose alphas were far less suitable who never really feel like they can connect with anyone else."

Santana frowns. It's something that up until this point she hasn't really been able to articulate. Dani is nice _enough_ , but it feels like she's going through the motions. She _wants_ Dani, and maybe if she had pulled her head out of her own ass before Charlie came back this wouldn't be an issue. "You're saying I'll regret it?"

"I'm saying I don't _want_ you to regret whatever choice you make." Brittany amended. "You're at a cross-roads right now, and if you choose Dani, then I'll be genuinely happy for you. But I want you to be _sure_ that rejecting your mate in favor of an alpha who will never quite feel the same isn't something you do just because you want to prove a point."

"She _left_ and maybe it was just me I could maybe make the conclusion that the situation was bound to implode anyway. Charlie felt threatened and humiliated and I was the one that chose to martyr myself knowing that Charlie would freak. So maybe I sabotaged the relationship in the same way that Charlie did in the beginning. But she _left_ her daughter. She _left_ Harper and she's going to do it again and again, and I can't—"

Brittany held up her hand stopping the rant before it could begin. "A relationship, even a relationship between an alpha and an omega is still based on communication. It might be _easier_ for you to share your feelings without having to say a word but you two aren't _mated_. You both probably have a lot of stuff to say to each other. My advice, _talk_. I'm not saying cheat on Dani, I'm saying have a conversation with her. Maybe it's to get the closure that you need or to make a different choice all together."

"I hate it when you make sense with your psycho mumbo jumbo." Santana grumbles after a minute. "You really don't care who I choose?"

Brittany chewed on her bottom lip. "The reason we broke up, at least part of the reason was because you as an omega have a desire to find your mate. I'm just a beta, I would never be able to fulfill what you needed. We had a _very_ good run," Brittany smiles sadly and then shrugs it off. "I love my husband, I love the life we have and I don't regret a thing because I wanted you to find your mate and have what I have. A family, a partner that adores you and everything that you wanted and needed. And you _found_ her and you were happy. Even when you were pissed at her you were happy. So the idea of you deciding that you don't want that, that you don't need her well—that sort of stings a bit." Brittany shrugs. "But that's my opinion as your ex-girlfriend. If you want a psychiatrist you really need to see someone else. I've seen you naked. This is wildly unethical."

Santana snorted at the joke, "So was all the times we played doctor," Brittany smiles at this and she can't help but put her hand on Brittany's belly. "You should name the baby after the most badass person you know."

"So I should name the baby after Quinn?" Brittany teased before laughing and pulling away from Santana whose jaw dropped at the statement. "I'll think about it," she promises.

~O~

Dani frowns as she studies the gym. "I knew I should have brought a cop along." She mutters under her breath. It's in the worst area of town and she feels grimy just looking at it. She wouldn't call herself a _snob_ per-say, she just doesn't like poor people. She sighs and musters up her courage to push through the door confidently. She doesn't waste any time, striding up confidently to the first sweat-soaked alpha she sees. "Charlie Fabray?"

He looks around dumbly. "Uh no? My name is Finn."

She rolls her eyes. "I didn't _ask_ for your name. Where's Charlie Fabray?"

"Oh." Finn scratches the back of his head. That makes more sense than someone confusing him for Charlie. "I think she's in the locker room. She just finished sparring."

Dani marched forward, the place was probably several health code violations away from being shut down. She would probably send someone from the inspection board to force them to close. "Thank you," she said after a moment before walking towards the women's locker room and shaking her head at the sign. The women on the placard was crossed out and it just read Charlie's name on it. With a frown she pushes the door open and walks in. "Charlie?"

"What?" Charlie said as she took a step out of the showers grabbing reaching for the towel to dry her face. She pauses for a moment after wiping her face and frowns. "Oh, it's you," she says in a flat tone before tossing the towel on the bench. "What the hell do you want?"

"First, for you to put on some pants." Dani locked the door behind her. "And then, for us to have a friendly chat."

"Friendly?" Charlie laughs but makes no move to hide her nudity. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

"We're _going_ to talk. So please. A pair of pants?"

"Sorry lady, but you came in _my_ locker room. If you don't like dicks, that's _your_ problem." Charlie drawled, she really didn't have time for this conversation. She was going to be late to pick up Harper and she didn't like to keep her daughter waiting. She moves to her bag and zips it open. Maybe she could tell Quinn to pick up Harper and drop her off at home. "I'm going to be late to pick up my daughter so you have three minutes. Make it quick."

Dani recoiled a bit, she had mentioned something about the fact but this was the first time that it had registered in her mind. "You have a _child_?" When Charlie didn't answer her she frowns in disgust, "Why don't you go find your own omega then and leave mine alone?"

Charlie narrowed her eyes at the obvious insult. " _Your_ omega?" She shook her head. "Sorry to break it to you, but she was mine long before she was ever yours."

Dani forced herself not to react. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Tell me, has she asked to mate with you?" Charlie challenged, taking a step forward. She already knew the answer to that. Dani wouldn't be here if she and Santana had already taken that step, which meant that Charlie still had time.

"We're taking it slow—" Dani defends and then shakes her head. "Not that I have to tell you anything about it. I just came here to tell you to stay the hell away from Santana."

There was a part of her that wanted to point out that Santana had _begged_ her to mate, that they had mated for a few glorious seconds but she doesn't. It quite frankly was none of Dani's business and she wasn't going to humiliate Santana by bringing it up. "Your three minutes are up," Charlie said without even looking at the time. "Now get the hell out of my locker room before I put you through that door."

"Are you _seriously_ threatening an assistant district attorney? How fucking stupid are you? Or are you going to have your daddy bail you out. That's what he does doesn't he?"

Charlie's brow twitched and then she smiled, "Mutually assured destruction Dani. If you come at me then I don't care if you think it's weak or whatever, I will use _every tool_ at my disposal to make your life a living hell. You want to move up in the world, how easy do you think that will be with my father as an enemy? You think Santana will want to be with you when she finds out that you came here to threaten me? My bat is bigger than yours and I swing so much harder, so why don't you fuck off and go crawl back to Santana's mother."

Dani swallowed, she had expected a spoiled brat not someone like this. "Think what you want, but Santana's _made_ her decision and she chose me. So you just need to move on accept it." Dani flashes a smile at Charlie and glances down at her nudity and shakes her head. "Mines bigger," Dani throws in before opening the door and walking out.

Charlie smirks as she leaves, just to be an asshole. Once she's sure Dani's gone, she balls her fist and punches the nearest locker, leaving a satisfying dent in the old metal. She takes a deep breath and cranes her neck. She has to believe she still has a chance, even if it's slim. She and Santana belong together, and if she just gets the opportunity, she's sure she can convince Santana that she's changed. After letting herself calm down, she glances down at her penis with a frown. "There's no way she's bigger than me."


	26. Chapter 26

Quinn smirked as her niece practically bounced on the balls of her feet, waiting impatiently to arrive at Charlie's apartment. "Your mom's going to be super proud of your report card."

Harper shrugged but couldn't hide her own self-satisfied grin. Her mom was proud of grades and stuff, but she was more excited that her mom was still sticking around. "Yeah?"

"Straight A's?" Quinn arched her brow dramatically. "Of course she'll be proud. Maybe you can help Beth with her grades," Quinn said making a face her daughter was doing well but she had a C in math. Fabrays didn't _get_ C's.

They both stopped a little when the doors opened, revealing Santana who seemed to be frozen at the doorway, seemingly torn as to press the buzzer to be allowed into the apartment complex.

Harper glances up at her aunt Quinn before turning back to Santana who hadn't seemed to notice them. She wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not but she pulls away from her aunt and moves to Santana grabbing her hand. "I got straight A's on my report card," Harper informs Santana who blinks in surprise.

Santana licks her lips and tries to straighten herself out, ignoring Quinn's very existence as she turns to Harper and forces a smile onto her lips. "That's _great_."

Harper doesn't hesitate to pull Santana along with her not giving her a chance to escape. "It's _awesome_ you're here. Are you going to go for dinner with my mom? What are you doing outside? Can I still come watch you perform surgery?"

Santana blinked the questions had come out in a rapid fire manner and she wasn't sure where to begin. "I—"

"Maybe we can go out together? You know like we used to?" Harper pushes the button to the elevator.

"Harper—"

"Oh! I bet mom would let us go to the science museum, or even the aquarium, that could be cool." Harper continues, oblivious to Quinn's knowing smirk. She looks up at Santana with innocent eyes. "I bet if you come around more, mom will stay even longer."

Quinn's smirk falls and Santana feels her own anger flare. Harper shouldn't have to worry about her mom taking off at a moment's notice. She felt her own resolve grow, she and Charlie needed to talk, and even if it wasn't going to be pretty, somebody had to stand up for Charlie's kid. "I'm sure—"

But Harper brightens and waves the thought away. "Did you know she's sticking around for another two _months_." She's practically giddy at the thought. It is _just_ like before. Her mom and Santana and her—this was going to be great.

Quinn wisely holds the elevator door for them and waves her goodbye as Harper drags Santana to Charlie's front door. "Come on, mom said she was even making dinner!"

Santana makes a face, "Mac and cheese?"

Harper laughs and is about to pull out her key when the door to their apartment swings open and her mom pokes her head out. Harper grins as her mom turns to her and then looks at Santana like it's a dream. "Guess who I brought along?"

Charlie smiled, "You are so getting a raise in your allowance," she murmurs immediately stepping aside for them both to enter the house. She immediately held out her arms, "Do you uh—want me to take your jacket? Are you staying for dinner?"

Santana hesitates for a moment, "So long as you're _not_ making mac and cheese."

"It's Kraft dinner, and I'm making the alfredo one." Charlie said with a smile which faded when Santana gave her a look. "She likes it—"

Santana turns to Harper who shrugs, "I don't want mom to burn down our new apartment," Harper whispers to Santana who can't help but smirk at the dig.

"Your daughter got straight A's and you can't even make her a nice dinner?" Santana shook her head. This wouldn't do at all, Harper had been having a rough go of it lately and deserved something special. She glances at Harper for a moment before sighing inwardly and shaking her head. "What do you have in your kitchen? Apart from bacon."

"Milk and cereal." When Santana shoots her a look of disbelief she can't help but scratch her head and shoot her a sheepish smile. "I was running late today and didn't have time to go to the store to pick some stuff up!"

"Don't forget the eggs," Harper added helpfully.

"Oh maybe we can do breakfast for dinner!" Charlie offers with a pleased smile. "We've got enough bacon and—"

"Pancakes too?"

"I think we've got some pancake batter lying around somewhere," Charlie scratched her cheek.

Santana twitched at the blasé affair. Dinner was important especially for a child like Harper. She stared at the two Fabray's before shaking her head, if she didn't do something Harper was going to _starve_ and Charlie already had unhealthy eating habits. This wasn't going to do at all. Breakfast for dinner sounded like something that Charlie would do to far often to be anywhere near healthy. "No, we're going to do some grocery shopping then I'm going to make you two enough food that you can easily heat up so you don't end up eating Kraft dinner again."

"Santana—you don't have to cook for us." Charlie begins quickly wanting to put a stop to this before it got out of hand.

"I'm not offering to do this, I'm telling you that this is what's going to happen. Maybe I'll teach you something," Santana turns to Harper who is watching them carefully. "You deserve to eat something amazing for doing a good job at school."

Harper smiled watching as her mother tried to argue but Santana had always been super bossy, she was sure her mom liked it even if she complained about it. "Okay, I'm going to change out of my uniform, I'll be right back," she informed her mother. This was clearly going to happen whether her mom wanted it to or not and she was _really_ tired of mac and cheese. She immediately took off to go change into her normal clothes hoping that her mom didn't scare Santana away.

Santana watched as Harper took off and waited until she heard the click of the door before turning on Charlie entering her personal space and prodding her hard in the chest. "I can't _believe you_. How the _hell_ could you just _abandon_ your daughter?" Something tickles at the back for her nose and she can swear that she can smell Dani on Charlie but she would get her answers later.

Charlie frowned, "What are you talking about? I haven't abandoned my daughter."

"Then what do you call taking off every few months to go do _whatever_ it is the hell you're doing. You don't take three months away from your kid or six months or however long your vacations are. Harper _needs_ you and she thinks you've abandoned her."

Understanding flickered across Charlie's face and she shook her head, "Oh, that. Everything I'm doing is for _Harper_. I made a decision, just like in a few months I'll have to make another decision again. I can't _afford_ the training camps in New York, they take a bigger percentage of my winnings. I won't be able to afford the nice school that Harper goes to now, or the apartment in the good area of town. I made the decision to go pro for _Harper_. See her report card? She's going to get into some Ivy League school and I want to be able to help her as much as I can. You were right about the injuries piling up, and the fact that I'm getting older—I made a decision. There are more rules now, I'm taking better care of myself and I fight two or three times a year and with sponsorships, we're comfortable. I'm not allowed to fight unless I get cleared by a doctor. I have insurance now, which means that Harper has really good insurance. I can _afford_ Kraft Dinner now and a car that doesn't break down or smoke anymore." Charlie exhales, "I don't want to be away from her for months at a time. Rachel and Quinn are fine parents but they're too trusting, and they're busy all the time—" Charlie trails off.

It suddenly made a bit more sense. New York was expensive, and for Charlie comfortable probably meant she had little to no savings. She probably didn't even have a retirement plan or anything of the sort. She was finally starting to think ahead. "Oh." It was the only thing that she could think off and she felt ridiculous, Charlie wasn't trying to _punish_ anyone. It all boiled down to Charlie trying to take care of Harper by herself.

"Yeah, I guess I need to explain that to Harper more. She's popular at school you know. She gets invited to birthday parties and stuff like that and it's going _well_ for her. Like _really_ well. If I tell her all this she'll want to move down just to be with me and I can't have that. I have to stick her report card on the fridge—should I frame it? I think we should just stick it on the fridge though." Charlie pauses for a moment after she realizes she's rambling. "Sorry—you're probably here about what happened at the gym today. I'm sorry."

Santana stops. The gym? But she usually finds that playing along gets her more information than a direct confrontation. "Yes. I am." She lies. It's easier than saying she's here to _talk_.

Charlie blows out a breath. "Fine. I'm sorry, all right? Dani just cornered me but I _really_ tried not to ruin it for you. She still doesn't know about us—well not that we tried to mate."

"I see."

"But I was _naked_ , so I'm not sure what else you wanted from me." Charlie defends.

"You were naked?" Santana repeats slowly.

"I was getting out of the shower and she basically barged in on me. I refused to put on pants though."

Santana rolls her eyes. "Of course you did." It seems that Charlie's great about being stubborn about everything except mating with her. "I'll talk to her, she was out of line coming to your gym to bother you. _Thank you_."

Charlie raises her brow. That went better than she expected. "So you're not mad?"

"No, at least not at you." She would talk to Dani about it later. She frowns slightly and sighs, she had a feeling her mother had a role to play in the today's events. "So I have a list of things that I need to get for dinner tonight try not to get distracted by candy like last time."

"They were having a _sale_ ," Charlie protests as Harper came out of the door of her room. "Besides Harper loves the peanut M&Ms."

"I do, but you always finish them all!" Harper grumbles. "She ate the bag that you bought for me the last time."

Santana turns to Charlie, "Really? Stealing candy from children Charlie?"

"I was _hungry_." Charlie grumbles grabbing her keys.

Santana shakes her head and looks at Harper, "You need to _hide_ them better, so your mom doesn't get into it."

"I was _hungry_!" Charlie protests again and pokes Harper in the side glancing over at Santana who rolled her eyes.

~O~

"You're a _child_ , how the hell is Harper better behaved than you?" Santana grumbles smacking Charlie's hand as she attempts to sneak more food from where she had been chopping up vegetables. Well she would be if Charlie wasn't attempting to steal everything that she prepared. Harper laughed as Charlie rubbed her knuckles. Her lips couldn't help but quirk upwards as she shook her head. This just felt right.

Charlie grins, not missing Santana's amusement winking at her daughter playfully, they were _winning_. She was _so_ going to give Harper a raise in her allowance, or at the very least start handing her money every time she did something like this. "At least I'm eating vegetables. That's good right?"

" _Now_ you choose to eat vegetables?" Santana scoffed.

Charlie smiles, "I'm _choosing_ to do a lot of things now, things I should have done before. Like I said I need to keep healthy."

Santana studies Charlie for a moment before turning to Harper, "I'm on call this weekend, how about you come and watch me do a surgery, I'll make sure to narrate everything so you understand. I'll get the proper permission of course just give me a few days to iron the out details and get permission from the patient of course."

Harper immediately turns to her mom who is trying to sneak another carrot only to get her hand swatted, "Can we? Please?"

Charlie made a face, she got queasy just watching Santana work but she nods she's not going to give up spending any time with Santana. "Okay," she'd make sure to get something to eat from that place that Santana liked nearby. She didn't understand how anyone could eat after doing what Santana did but it was what it was.

Santana eyed Charlie carefully before turning to Harper. "Make sure your mom doesn't throw up though. She's capable of punching someone until they are a bloody mess but perish the thought of her watching me _heal_ someone."

"It's _different_!" Charlie protests immediately. "I don't—you know _dig_ around inside of them."

"Good, cause neither do I," Santana retorts but she gets it. The first time that they had worked on a cadaver four people had fainted in her class. She wasn't sure if they had continued or not. "I—" Santana begins only to pause when her phone goes off. She moves to grab it from her purse. It could be the hospital, she was _technically_ on call tonight.

"Do you have to leave?" Harper pouts before Santana can even see who is on the other line. Charlie smirks, vowing that she's going to do something way better than a raise in her allowance for her wingman daughter. She's _great_ at this, and at this point Charlie's not even sure she's trying.

Santana frowns at the caller id. "No, I couldn't very well abandon you to eat whatever horrors your mom cooks up." She winks but motions that she's going to step outside to take the call. She swipes to answer but cautions Harper, "I'm trusting you to make sure this doesn't burn and that it doesn't all get eaten before dinner."

Harper nods proudly and Santana steps out of the kitchen. She turns her head back immediately as she catches her mom reaching to steal more food. " _Mom_."

Charlie stops puts the sliced carrot back down. There's a part of her that realizes that if Santana becomes her mate she was going to be completely overwhelmed by the amount of omegas in her life. Harper was _clearly_ on Santana's side.

"What do you want?" Santana answered her phone sharply.

 _'I'm here waiting at the hospital, where are you? Tina said you're not in surgery.'_

"My surgery was cancelled." Santana agrees, not giving anything else. Of course _now_ Dani decided it was time to actually show that she gave a damn. But she didn't have time to worry about Dani's feelings, right now. Not that she'd admit why. "So I made plans. What are you doing there?"

 _'I stopped by to take you to dinner.'_ She could practically feel Dani's protective frown. _'What are you doing?'_

"Babysitting." Santana said the first thing that came to mind and then smiled at her unintended joke. Cooking with Charlie definitely felt like babysitting, even if the _child_ wasn't the one she had to make sure didn't burn her hand on the burner.

 _'Oh. I didn't know that you had friends with kids_ — _'_ Dani mused slowly.

"I don't have to tell you about each of my friends." Santana reminds. They aren't mates, not yet, and she can't deal with Dani's jealousy when it's probably unfounded. She knew plenty of people with kids, hell she was Beth's godmother and she may have gotten Brittany to name a kid after her. Though she does feel a little guilty about lying to Dani, but she owes it to herself to sort out her feelings. It's in Dani's best interest as well. She needs closure or at least to figure what the fuck is going on with her. So Dani can wait. After all, there have been plenty of dinners that they've planned, where Dani hasn't managed to show up at all.

Dani seemed to realize that she had said something slightly offensive. _'Sorry, I know. It's been a crazy week. But I just wanted to see you, maybe I can help you babysit and once the kid goes down for a nap_ —'

"No." She hears a crash from the kitchen and winces at the thought of the disaster that Charlie's managed to create in her absence. "Sorry. Maybe we do it tomorrow?" She offers, hoping that's enough to satisfy Dani's curiosity. She's not going to feel guilty for having a life, especially since there will be many more dinners in the future.

' _What was that_?' Dani asked immediately straining her ears, she was certain she had heard a crash.

"That was a hurricane hitting the kitchen. This is what happens when I leave them unattended for thirty seconds. Look, I'll see you tomorrow, go take down drug lords or whatever it is you're working on right now. Put in the hours I'm sure my mom will be happy." Santana glanced at the kitchen, it was going to be a disaster area, she could just feel it in her bones.

' _Alright_ , _but if you need me for anything just give me a call._ ' Dani offers.

"Right," Santana says as another crash is heard. "I got to go now," Santana repeats and ends the call before marching back into the kitchen where she finds Charlie attempting to arrange her pots and pans quickly and quietly, or her version of the word quiet. "What the hell?" She smirked when Harper automatically points to her mother, who scowls at the betrayal.

"I just opened the cupboard to get some pans out, you know to help!" Charlie says holding up her hands.

"Well next time, don't help." Santana scoffed. She should be more annoyed than she is. Instead, she's just amused. "At least I don't have to stitch anyone up."

Charlie smiled from where she was still attempting to put things into their proper place. "There's not even a scar," Charlie said pointing to her forehead.

"Well, if there was it wouldn't be _my fault_. You're the one that got into a fight with stitches on," truthfully she was a bit surprised that there wasn't. The damage Charlie had taken—she was sure that there would be some sort of scar. She can't help but reach forward and touch Charlie's eyebrow, feeling for any sort of indent in her skin. "But I saw your last fight, you looked— _okay_."

Charlie arched her brow. "Just okay? Admit it, you thought I was _great_."

"I admit nothing, I thought the fight went on too long. I've seen you fight bigger people before," Santana said with a shake of her head, Charlie's ego was big enough without her inflating it, and judging from the pleased smile on her face she had already said too much.

"Yeah, strength wise, but it's a matter of skill." Charlie counters. She had thought the same thing, but the fight managers have encouraged her to draw out her fights. Since she's only fighting a few times a year, it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal to go along with their demands.

"Mom's going to be the next champion! Just one more fight, and if she wins she gets to fight for the championship belt. She's even got her own twitter and everything. And they take her picture and she's been in magazines!" Harper said helpfully.

Charlie rubbed the back of her neck under Santana's eye, "It's no big deal, I'm just supposed to hype my fights and stuff. I've got fans you know, it's weird and I've got sponsors, but I mean I have two thousand twitter followers. People who actually think that I can win, and I did a telephone interview the other day which was online." Her career was taking off in ways that she hadn't imagined it would. And yeah she may _only_ have two thousand followers, but she already in the top ten fighters in her division and was named the fourth best pound for pound fighter in the division. She was earning her stripes and after this fight, she'd begin the process of getting ready to fight the champion.

"So by this time next year you'll be carrying around a gigantic golden belt around your waist?" Santana asked.

"She promised that once she won that I could carry the belt out for her," Harper pipes up causing her mom to shrug.

"I get to pick my fights and fight less and maybe you know make the jump into movies and stuff. Rachel got me a sports agent, it'll help with the bills at least. She told me that maybe I should get a PR firm, but I said no, I don't really have anything to hide and I'm not going to apologize for things that they might want me to apologize for." Charlie said standing up as she finished glancing at her daughter. Her comment though goes right over Harper's head and she can't help but smile. She was grateful that Harper missed most of the comments, and quite frankly she had nothing to be ashamed of. Harper was the best damn kid in the world.

Santana raised a brow, "So you might end up being in movies?"

"Well the current champion parties with like A-listers, and I know I'm better and certainly more likeable plus you know I can smack talk with the rest of them, and if I need help well—you're in my corner right?" Charlie asks studying Santana's facial expression hoping that she doesn't seem repulsed by the idea.

Santana shakes her head and looks at Charlie and Harper for a moment, "Yeah. I'm in your corner." She feels her heart skip a beat when Charlie flashes her a smile and turns to Harper and flashes her a thumbs up, it's ridiculous—Charlie is ridiculous but she seems _happy_ and with her there. She doesn't quite know what it all means. Being with Charlie and Harper was _easy_ , it didn't really require much effort on her part, at least not anymore. She had laid most of the groundwork already but Charlie hadn't been ready, and now things were different. Charlie _seemed_ ready but that didn't quite mean she was. She had _seemed_ ready before they had stopped talking for more than a year. Then there was Dani, being with Dani was safe. It required a bit more effort on her part and a few extra boring dinners but Dani didn't have nearly the emotional baggage that Charlie did, even with a dead mate.

All she knew was that she needed to make a decision.

* * *

 **AN: So I'm aware that you people want me to post more. I know it must suck having to wait even though it's been ages since Stitches was finished. But, once I start finishing other fics a new schedule will arise. Some stories that I have sort of finished will be updated once a month, others will be updated twice a week, others still will be updated once a week just on different days.**


	27. Chapter 27

Charlie knocked nervously on the door to Santana's apartment. She needed advice, and she needed it _now_. Quinn was terrible at giving advice, and her first thought had been to seek out Santana's opinion. Her promoter had called, informing her that her next opponent was on medical leave for the foreseeable future and that she had won the next match by forfeit. Offhandedly, he commented that a slot had opened against the reigning champion and she had jumped at the opportunity. As soon as she had hung up the phone, the uncomfortable realization that she'd have to cut this vacation short washed over her like a sea of dread.

Harper was going to kill her, but she could _not_ afford to miss this chance. An hour of reflection had given her time to realize that this was a deliberately staged attempt to protect the champion, by pitting her against lesser-known fighters she had a better chance of staying injury free for all of her various media engagements. What they _didn't_ count on was the fact that Charlie _knew_ she could take Lauren. Lauren might be bigger than her, with more experience, but Charlie was in better shape, faster, and had a strategic eye that surpassed most technically trained fighters—one of the benefits of amateur fighting.

A fight of this magnitude could secure their future indefinitely, but was it worth it if it meant disappointing her daughter? She wasn't sure. The worst case scenario was that she didn't make it past the first round, Lauren's last five fights had ended in seconds, she'd be booted to the back of the line again and she may never get a chance like this again. Even if she didn't win, but if she showed that she belonged in that ring with Lauren the money would continue to pour in. But was it worth it? She could throw in with another training camp, it wasn't as if she had signed a contract but she'd be so busy training that her daughter wouldn't get the attention she required.

Charlie knocked on the door again, it was rather early and she wasn't even sure if Santana was even home. She waits for a few moments before she turns away, this had been a bust but Santana hadn't answered her phone—maybe she had an early morning. Those did happen, but she didn't want to go to the hospital and find her. She turns away and begins to head back to the elevator when the door opens up.

"What the hell do you—oh!" Santana stops herself when she sees that her early morning intruder was just Charlie. "Charlie." She winces when the blonde snaps around quickly, well aware that she can smell Dani's scent clinging to her skin.

Charlie feels a possessive tide rise within her, but tries to push it down as best as she can. Santana has a _girlfriend_ and even though it hurts to admit it, Charlie does respect it. She waves awkwardly. "Hi."

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"I needed your advice, and you weren't answering your phone." Charlie admits. "But you're busy, so—"

"No." Santana interrupts almost before she can stop herself. Dani's still somewhere inside her apartment, but the awareness that Charlie needs her seems to act like some sort of tunnel vision. "I'm not busy."

Charlie raises a brow but doesn't call Santana on the obvious lie. "The promoter called, my opponent for my next fight cancelled and—well they put me in a championship fight. Which is what I wanted but the fight's sooner than I expected. Two months away. Eight weeks isn't even a full training camp. I think they want me to lose so they can protect the champ."

"Training camp?" Santana repeated slowly and frowned ever so slightly. "You're leaving again."

"Yeah—no—I don't know what to do. This is _the_ fight for me, I could make a lot of money and open a lot of doors if I win. But to win I need to be completely focused on fighting and Harper—it's not like she gets in the way but—"

"She forces your focus to shift," Santana finishes for her, wrapping her robe around herself tighter.

Charlie nods, Santana got it. "Yeah but I _promised_ her and she gets super mad if I break my promises and I don't even know if I should just sign up for a training camp here and just—I don't know wing it. Then there's—well whatever this is. I don't want to ruin it by going away."

Santana swallows, there's a part of her that wants to remind Charlie that there is still no them. Despite the dinner that they had shared, a dinner that she wanted to repeat. There were still a swarm of unanswered questions around Charlie. Clearly things weren't as clear cut as she had wanted to make it out to be. "Look Charlie—"

Charlie holds up her hands, "I just need to know what to do—should I stay here in New York? I mean I'll be here and I think that's what Harper wants but they are going to cut into my profits by a huge margin. Or should I just go back down to my old training camp?"

Santana bites her lip. She _should_ tell Charlie to go, maybe even take Harper with her. Then she should mate with Dani and forget all about Charlie Fabray. And yet, she can't bring herself to do it. "I shouldn't be the one making this decision for you." She allows instead.

Charlie smiles softly. "But if you don't, who will?" She gulps. "I know you're with Dani, I know that. But if there's any chance that _this_ —" She gestures between them, "—might be salvageable, then I don't want to fuck it up. No amount of money in the world is worth that."

Santana's heart soars and her mouth dries. "Charlie—" She sighs, closing her eyes, "I don't know."

It is a better response than Charlie ever could have hoped for, and yet it still doesn't solve the problem. This limbo they find themselves in can only go on for so long, but she _has_ to decide what to do about this fight—and more importantly, what she has to do to _win_ this fight. "Sorry, this isn't fair."

"No. It's not." Santana agrees. "But then, a lot of things haven't been fair, have they?" She muses. Maybe if they had met earlier, or—

She was here because Santana was her top priority. Harper would forgive her, eventually, but Santana, the thought of her mating with someone else bothered her to no end. She'd never forgive herself if Santana made the decision to choose Dani because Charlie had been away. "Seriously, what do you think?"

"I think that you need to do what's best for you and Harper." Santana allows slowly. She knows what Charlie's waiting for, but it's something she can't give. Not completely, not yet. "But if you're worried I won't be— _here_ , don't be. I can't promise that things will work out, but—I won't mate with anyone until after you get back from the championships."

"You promise?" Charlie asks, shocked. She hadn't thought Santana would promise _that_. It was exactly what she needed in order to focus on her fight. Just the hope that she still had a shot, that it wasn't ruined beyond repair made her heart soar.

"Yeah, you need to focus, because I don't want to watch you get your ass kicked. It's the scariest shit in the world. I want you to win. I won't decide on what you do or where you go, that's on you Charlie but I promise you don't have to worry about me."

"And when were you planning on telling _me_ that?" A voice sounds over Santana's shoulder.

Santana winces and turns, "Dani, I—"

But Dani storms past Santana, pushing Charlie who has to take a step back, her shoulders hitting the back of the hall across from Santana's door. "Just what do you think you're playing at?"

"I'm just—"

"We fucked last night. Did you know that?" Dani insists, throwing the truth in Charlie's face as it's the best weapon she has. Santana is _hers_ and she's tired of this alpha making things more complicated. Before Charlie Fabray had waltzed back into their lives, they'd been happy. "You two might have a past, but _I_ am her future."

"Dani." Santana tries to call off her girlfriend. She doesn't need to worry about cleaning up blood off her doorstep.

"No." Dani barks, not looking behind her. "She needs to hear this and get it through her thick, brain-damaged skull. It's the only way people like her learn."

"People like me?" Charlie scoffs. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Dani please, let's just get back to breakfast."

"It _means_ , that you're an entitled alpha _brat_. You couldn't control yourself long enough to find a mate and you what, knocked up the first omega you found? You must be so damn proud of yourself. You fight and _fuck_ and yeah some omega's might find it attractive but people like _you_ are the reason why people view alphas as nothing more than animals." Dani sneered.

It was a dangerous territory that Dani had entered into and immediately Santana tries to squeeze herself in between the two alphas, hoping that seeing her there would stop Charlie from killing Dani. She was sure she wouldn't be able to get her mother to drop the charges if Charlie attacked Dani. "Okay that's enough, you two can whip your dicks out another time. I don't want my neighbors to call the cops."

Charlie gritted her teeth, but holds her hands up. She wasn't going to attack. She _couldn't_ attack. Her contract had a morality clause attached that could ruin everything if she got caught in some hallway brawl. The athletic commission would suspend her and the company that she fought for would fire her. They were incredibly sensitive about uncommissioned fights and the last thing she wanted to do was take on bureaucratic bullshit because she lost her patience. "Sorry, I should go."

Dani, however, had no such inhibitions. "Yeah, you should. Get back to that freak of a daughter. She's probably just as bad as you are."

Santana immediately moved to intercept Charlie, her body slamming into Charlie's chest. She winces at the rage that is etched on Charlie's face. She needed to keep Charlie from doing something stupid, even if at this moment it was warranted. "Stop. Charlie. Stop. You can't kill her, she's my mom's protege and I don't think she'd let it slide if you murdered her." Santana said in a soothing manner, she fucking hated that this was splintering all around her. "Dani go inside. Just—get your ass inside before Charlie _kills_ you." She'd probably get away with murdering Dani for the comment. It was _unacceptable_ and Santana was prepared to give her a piece of her mind.

"Santana, let me go," Charlie orders her voice dropping. She didn't give a shit if she lost her job, Harper was her kid and she'd fucking defend her to the death. She couldn't do anything against children but she could certainly do something about some stuck up bitch.

" _No_. I'm not going to let you get in trouble because of Dani, so please just trust me to handle it okay? Trust me." A low growl erupted from Charlie's chest as she turned her attention to Santana. But she stood her ground. She wouldn't be intimidated by Charlie's growls or her anger. She had seen Charlie drooling on her bed butt naked, and snoring. She growls back and shoves Charlie back. "Enough Charlie, let me handle it."

Charlie eyes her for a moment before finally backing down, "I'm going to go see my dad now," Charlie mutters under her breath and stares at Dani for a moment. "If you need me, call me. Don't hesitate to call me."

"Okay." Santana agrees which only serves to piss Dani of more.

Santana should be _hers_ , Dani fumes silently. This bitch was going to ruin _everything_ she had worked for. With a low growl, she darts under Santana's arm, prepared to fight this nuisance to the death if necessary. She was an _alpha_ and maybe if she could show Santana just how capable she was, this entire charade could be abandoned. She leans down, instinctively preparing to tackle the blonde when Charlie merely rolls her eyes and steps to the side, placing a firm hand on Dani's back to 'help' her head first into the wall.

Charlie smirks, but doesn't stick around. "Call me tonight." It's not a request and Santana nods before Charlie turns and strides confidently toward the elevator, not willing to stick around to let Dani goad her into some sort of fight.

Santana sighs, she doesn't carry around her medical bag anymore and quite frankly she's not interested in giving Dani any stitches for something caused by her own stupidity. "Are you okay?" Santana asks, there would be no point in ripping into Dani if she had a concussion.

Dani rubbed her forehead, her cheeks aflame with embarrassment as she looks up at Santana, for once she's unsure how to handle it. "What the hell was that?"

"I could ask you the same question," Santana fumes immediately cutting to the chase. "What the _fuck_ is wrong with you?" She demands. "What you said to Charlie about her daughter—she was well within her rights to attack you. If I didn't think that my mom would be irritated that she lost another one of her drones and decide to take it on Charlie I would have let her have at you."

"You're taking her side? She came here basically asking you—no she's telling you that she wants you back and you basically said _okay_. What the hell has been going on between you two?" Santana didn't get to play the victim omega in this. She was just as culpable as Charlie was, leading her on and keeping secrets.

"She's my _ex_. I've explained it to you a million times, and I'll do it a million more if you need. I didn't say _okay_. I wouldn't cheat on you and I resent the implication that I would." Santana insists, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at Dani. "I don't know what you want from me. I said I would wait to mate with you until she got back. I'm _trying_. But it's not my fault that the first time you've decided to get your head out of your ass and _act_ like my girlfriend coincided with Charlie coming back."

"Well maybe I don't want to wait anymore." Dani huffs. "You've never mated before—you don't know what it's like."

"I _do_ know what it's like." Santana spat, exasperated, well aware of what she was doing. She was sick and tired of Dani treating her like she was the expert on mating when this was such a fucked up situation that no one had the map to navigate it. "I've mated before."

Dani blinked. "What? With whom?"

"With Charlie, and _I_ severed it, not because she raped me or whatever stupid conclusion you'll draw up to make her the villain. It was my choice. It was the worst decision I've made, but it was a split-second reaction and I _tried_ to take it back, so _don't_ tell me what mating is like. I'm _not_ going to do it again until I'm sure and if you can't respect that, then get the hell away from me."

"That's not what—" Dani spits out before shutting her mouth and looking away. She didn't quite know how to react. "I think I should leave." Dani says finally, forcing herself up. "I need some time to think." She had decisions to make and she needed to find out more information before she made her move.

"You really should leave," Santana says finally, she had been expecting it. Things hadn't been going well and once Charlie was out of the picture she had a feeling that Dani would simply go back to ignoring her existence. She wasn't Dani's real mate, she would never ever compare to who Dani was with before and she didn't _do_ second fiddle. "But if you need to think about this, then that tells me all I need to know. We're done. I'm going to go shower and go to work. Take all the time you need, but most importantly get your crap out of my apartment."


	28. Chapter 28

"Charlie, it's good that you're here, I was just about to make a sandwich for your father, would you like one? You've lost far too much weight." Judy said ushering her youngest daughter into the house. "You need to eat more, stay I'll make dinner for you to take home to Harper. She's a growing girl and you can't just _just_ feed her bacon and hope that she makes it."

"That's what Santana said, but I have plenty of food in the freezer and fridge for Harper. Santana came over and cooked up a storm and left specific instructions on how to warm the food up." Charlie mentioned noting how her mother's smile turned sour for only a moment before it was replaced by her usual fake smile. " _Mom_ ," Charlie sighed.

"Are you _sure_ Santana's the right one? I can have hundreds of single omega's here later tonight—it could be like a mixer. Or perhaps I should call that million-dollar matchmaker—"

"I'm hardly a millionaire," Charlie points out and her mother rolls her eyes.

"Of course you are, just because you haven't touched the money your father set aside for you doesn't mean that you don't have millions at your disposable. Charlie, you've already proven you can provide for your family but all this fighting it's not good for you. When you're sixty and have Parkinson's or some other disease from all the repeated blows to the head? Take the money and just relax."

"I said no mom, I want Harper to know how to work hard for her money. I don't want to spoil her, if she sees hard I work then maybe she'll work just as hard." It was a sticking point that they argued about every single time. "Dad always said to pull yourself up by your—"

"Bootstraps, and that's exactly what she's done," Russell said moving towards his youngest and patting her hard on the back. "How is it going with your mate? Do you need more advice? Let's go shopping for something that will make sure she knows you can provide for her."

Charlie scratched her cheek that was her father's solution to everything. It was a good thing her mother adored her father's attentions that way and enjoyed spending his money. But Santana wasn't like that and she was sure that it was going to be the other way around. Santana would probably make more than her and have a steady income. "No, I think things with Santana—well they're going as well as they could be expected. Harper's a godsend, I don't think she was even trying. I'm giving her a raise in her allowance—actually Harper is the reason I'm here. I need your advice."

Russell beamed at the thought of his formerly wayward daughter coming to him for advice. It was a sign of how far their relationship had come and he couldn't be happier about it. "What for?"

"I have a chance to make a name for myself, but to do it I have to go back to training and Harper—well Harper doesn't know yet. I don't know if I should stay in New York or go back to my old training camp. I would have said no if this was just some lame fight but it's for the championship."

"Do you think that you can win?" Russell asks immediately, raising a brow when Charlie nods. "And the odds of winning?"

"About twenty-to-one?" Charlie scratched her cheek. "It might end up higher, it'll be announced later so the odds will fluctuate until the fight. I do know that I'm the underdog, people haven't really been paying attention but I _know_ I can win."

"Good, I'll tell my accountant to put a million dollars down. Don't let me down," Russell pats his youngest daughter on the back.

"Thanks dad, clearly there's no pressure there," Charlie mumbles and shakes her head. This wasn't going to plan. "Again, your gambling addiction aside, I'm worried about what to do with Harper, I don't want to break my promise to her."

Russell shrugged, "Kids forgive and forget, I mean you and Quinn forgave me for every single time I missed a game or concert or anything really."

"You ended up buying them toys instead," Judy pointed out.

"Right and they forgot all why they were upset, so my point still stands." Russell glances at Charlie for a moment, there were some things he regretted, perhaps if he had been around more what had happened to Charlie would never had happened but there was very little he could do now. Though the private investigator that he had hired was at work digging up all of that bastard's skeletons and Russell couldn't wait to watch that little worm squirm.

"What do you need Charlie? Do you want us to watch Harper for however long you need us too?" Judy asked.

A small trip down memory lane was enough for Charlie to shake her head. "No, but I was thinking that maybe I could bring the team to New York for eight weeks—so I don't have to go anywhere. Maybe use the summer home to—"

"No."

Charlie winced, she really should have expected that. Sure her parents had been great over the last year or so, but she should have expected that even they had their boundaries. "Yeah, I guess I'll just go to Arizona—"

Russell shook his head. "I mean, I don't want a bunch of strangers in my home. It's not that I don't trust you, Charlie. It's that eight weeks is a long time. Do you really need your team here? To win this match?" He pressed.

"I need a training camp to prepare. The New York camps eat into my profits too much." Charlie explained for the millionth time.

Russell frowns. "But do you need _the team_ here? Or can you use people you trust to help you get ready?"

"I mean there's Puck, I trust him but he's never dealt with a pro-fighter before. I don't know if he has the skills to get me ready." Charlie frowns, in all of her amateur fights Puck had managed to get her ready, but Puck didn't have the equipment or the money to invest in getting some of the best guys. She frowns for a second, before flicking her eyes. "What about investing in a gym and being a silent partner. It probably won't make money until I win and even then—"

Russell raised a brow for a moment, it was a simple matter of investing a few thousand dollars, he had plenty of money but he wasn't a _silent_ partner for anything. "If you want to invest in a gym that you believe in, well your trust fund is waiting for you. I promise not to mention it to your daughter."

Charlie made a face and looked at her mother, who chewed on the inside of her lip, "I'll invest in it for you."

"What?" Russell said turning to his wife who smiled.

"You'll have to attend a mixer of course and attempt to find a _proper_ mate instead of Santana, but as you can tell by the gut your father's gained quite a bit of weight lately and he _refuses_ to go to any gym that I sign him up for or use the gym at the country club." Judy said briskly and eyes her daughter before patting her mates protruding gut. "This needs to go."

"Now hold on!"

"Your cholesterol is through the roof and I know about how you've been cheating on your diet, I refuse to be a widow in the next three years. What am I supposed to do as a single omega at my age? The kids are gone, so you will get healthy for me and you will start by going to your daughter's gym with her."

"I'll train dad, but no mixer. Santana is my mate and I don't want to screw that up mom," Charlie says with a sigh. Her mother makes a face at this and looks like she's about to protest when Charlie holds out her hands. She _knew_ she was going to regret this but she needed her mother to invest with Puck. " _But_ , I do need a proper management team, which you could totally be in charge of."

Judy studied her daughter for a moment it was an open invitation into her daughter's life and while Quinn was around nearly every week, Charlie had been harder to pin down. "That sounds _wonderful_. Do you have an agent?"

"I do, I'll put you in touch and you can both tell me how to run my career and make it grow _after_ dinner. I need to focus on training and being Harper's parent." Charlie frowned at her mother, it was best to set boundaries now before her mom went _crazy_ with ideas. The last thing she needed was to get bombarded with ideas from morning to night.

~O~

Dani slammed the door behind her, furiously stalking into Maribel's office.

Maribel frowned. "Can I help you?"

"You lied to me." She spat. "Santana broke the bond and now I'm here trying to clean up after that Fabray's sloppy seconds."

Maribel's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure I misheard you refer to _my only daughter_ as someone's 'sloppy seconds'." She frowned in disapproval. Maybe Dani hadn't been the alpha she had thought. She folded her arms over her chest and stood. "You'd better have a _damn_ good reason for barging into my office with what is clearly a personal matter. It is _not_ my fault, nor my daughter's so it's likely best if you bite your tongue and show some respect."

There was a reason that no one had contested Maribel's bid for district attorney for the last three elections. She was _terrifying_ when she was angry, but Dani wasn't going to back down. She was the victim here. "I'll show you respect when you _earn_ it. You _lied_ to me."

"I didn't _lie_." Maribel spits out the insinuation like it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. She's an honest woman and the accusation that she's anything else makes her furious. "My daughter is still unmated. Whatever happened between her and Charlie Fabray means nothing if she still doesn't have an alpha."

"Nothing? It means everything. I've been patient, I thought she was just nervous about mating and now I find out that she's mated before? That changes everything!"

"Does it?" Maribel challenges. "If it does, then you aren't half the alpha I thought you were." She shakes her head sadly. She just wants Santana to be happy, and she is starting to doubt that Dani is the woman for the job. One thing she knows is that Charlie is selfish and has abandoned Santana in the past. She's not willing to give her the chance to do it again.

"She _has_ an alpha and it isn't me." Dani counters. "You set me up to fail."

"I did no such thing. I encouraged you to date my daughter because I thought you were a woman who could handle her. _Apparently_ I was wrong." Maribel sneered. "I should have known you'd be unable to close the deal with my daughter—"

"Too _weak_?" Dani interrupts, her fury growing. Maribel was her boss and she respected the hell out of her, but this had gone too far.

"I should have known you would be too _weak_ to actually convince her to see reason and understand that a life with Charlie Fabray will only end in heartache. My mistake." Maribel is openly goading her now, but she doesn't care. Dani's been a suck up the entire time she's worked for her and she _thought_ that Dani had the potential to make Santana happy. Clearly that was wrong.

"Don't put this on me, Maribel." Dani snaps at her. "I was a good alpha to my mate and I do like your daughter, but I was led to believe that it was _just_ Santana simply hadn't found her mate yet and wanted to settle down and have a family. I have been ready, I have told her that whenever she was ready then we could do it. What was I supposed to do Maribel? Force her? She broke the damn bond herself, that is something that I needed to know."

"Be that as it may, I don't know that it was my job to tell you." Maribel counters. Santana probably should have told her about the depths that she and Charlie had fallen to, but Maribel hadn't wanted to scare Dani off. "I am your _boss_ and short of giving you my blessing to date my daughter, I have tried not to interfere."

It was true, but that didn't matter. In dating Santana, Dani had not only wasted her time, she had sabotaged the relationship with Maribel that took her _years_ to cultivate. This was a professional nightmare, and she wasn't sure how she was going to recover. "No one was honest with me, your daughter wasn't and you certainly weren't. So all I know is that I wasted six months for something that wasn't ever going to happen."

Maribel scowled at Dani for a moment before exhaling. "I didn't set you up to fail, Santana decided to date _you_ despite her earlier attempt with Charlie. She had already chosen you, so what if she didn't tell you ever detail of her past? Did you tell her about your former mate?"

"That's not what this is about and you _know_ it." Dani growls. It's a painful topic, one she almost can't even think about without feeling like her heart has been pulled from her chest.

"What _I_ want to understand is how you managed to royally screw that up? Charlie is _nothing_ , she doesn't have a steady income, she comes home covered in cuts and bruises, and more importantly she has a habit of abandoning my daughter and her responsibilities." Maribel shakes her head. Santana may have told her the barest details of what happened when they attempted to mate, but it was more than enough for Maribel to draw her own conclusions. Charlie had _known_ how hard that would be and hadn't given Santana any warning. Of _course_ her daughter severed the bond, she hadn't been prepared. It was a mistake, sure, but a traumatic one and maybe she was being ridiculously overprotective but Santana was her _daughter._ She wasn't about to let her be hurt again. "I'm not even going to go into the details of the horrors she inflicted on my daughter. You were the perfect candidate and all you needed to do was show my daughter that you were everything Charlie wasn't."

"Except for the fact that I am not her _mate_." Dani spat. "You know just as well as I do that people _don't_ just forget about their first mate. I've been a placeholder while Santana figures out her feelings for a _fighter_. Yes if Charlie wasn't in the picture then we might have mated eventually, and Santana could have gotten over her. If Charlie died or became a vegetable or something, I at least would have had a _chance_. But with Charlie alive and kicking, Santana was never going to give up hope that she could mate without me. So _yes_ you set me up to fail and what's worse you don't even see it. Santana _openly_ chose Charlie, right in front of me and even though I like your daughter, I didn't sign up to be humiliated or someone's second choice."

Maribel was quiet for a moment taking in Dani's anger at the situation. She wasn't wrong and that's what made this entire situation infuriating. If only Dani and Santana had met earlier, they could have made it work. Dani was sharp and willing to fight for her responsibilities, not like Charlie. It wasn't fair they would have been the perfect power couple. Or at least, that's what she had thought. She hadn't thought Dani was the type to give up so easily, so clearly she had overestimated the younger lawyer. "Enough Dani, relationships break apart all the time. You've already filed your grievances. Now, perhaps it's time for you to vacate my office before you say something that I can fire you for."

Dani gritted her teeth for a moment, she did actually _need_ this job, it was her ticket to better things and she couldn't afford to get fired now, especially since she was no longer in Maribel's good graces. Turning on her heels she marched out and slammed the door behind her, it was the most aggressive she could be, she knew that Maribel probably wouldn't hesitate to fire her if she gave her cause.


	29. Chapter 29

"Do you need water?" Harper asked squirting her mom's water bottle in her face. "Sorry," she mumbles pulling back when her mom makes a face.

Charlie sighed and wiped her face as best she could with her gloved hands, "Harper," she sighs. "I told you to wait with the water and you squirt it in my mouth."

"I got it close." Harper winces at her mom's unimpressed look. "Well can I do something else?"

"You can put the chair down when I need to sit?" Charlie offers. It was a demotion of sorts and her daughter is smart enough to scowl at her. "Harper, I need to focus okay. I asked if you wanted to spend time with your cousin but you said no, remember?"

"That's because it's the championship fight! I want to help!" Harper informs her mother with a shake of her head.

"Well, I don't see why she can't start getting the ice bath ready. There's a _lot_ of ice that needs to go into that metal tub in the corner," Puck offered causing both Charlie and her daughter to turn to him. "You want to see something funny just wait until your mom has to get into that bath. You'll learn some new curse words."

" _Puck_."

"It's true." He points out. "The bags of ice are in the freezer just take one and go to the tub and empty the bag into the tub. Easy but by the time you're done your mom will probably be ready for her ice bath." He grins when Harper nods and immediately goes to do what she was asked. Puck glances at Charlie who watches his daughter and shakes his head. Her concentration had been split all day because she really couldn't just dump Harper somewhere for the day. She _needed_ her omega.

Charlie rolled her eyes, she could tell he wanted to say something. "What is it?"

"What's what?" He asked, discretely reaching for his phone to punch out a text to Santana. Charlie needed her and if she was too bullheaded to realize it, then he'd have to help.

"Whatever has you trying to avoid looking at me."

He glanced over at the freezer to make sure that Harper was too far to hear them. Once he was sure that Harper was out of earshot, he sighed. "You need to get laid."

"I don't need to get _laid_." Charlie spat out the last word derisively. There was only one person she wanted to sleep with. "What I _need_ to do is beat the shit out of Dani. That will make me feel better."

"Sucker punching your omega's girlfriend isn't going to fix anything." Puck reminded her bluntly. "Especially not when you've been acting like a jackass."

"I've been _good_ , I mean I think Santana's warming up to the idea of us being a family. Harper's a _terrible_ corner man, an even worse water girl, but she's an _excellent_ wingman."

Puck sighed and pulled his hands out of his pockets not noticing that he had accidentally called Santana. "Fine, lock it down then. _Mate_ with her! You're being a jackass because you don't want to mate with her. You know how damaging that is to an omega?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I _want_ to mate with Santana, I've wanted to mate with her since the first day we met and she stitched my eyebrow up. It's just not that simple for the two of us."

"If you _need_ a little blue pill Charlie then I can make it happen," Puck offered trying to be helpful.

"Oh dear god, it's not that! It's _complicated_."

"Then un-complicate it Charlie, you screw up again and I don't think she'll take you back this time. Figure out how to fix it, like an alpha should fix things and _fix_ it. Or at least show her you're working on it, do _something_." Puck snapped at her before there was a crash and the sound of ice hitting the ground pulled them from their heated conversation.

" _Harper_ ," Charlie groaned pinching the bridge of her nose.

"The bag ripped!" Harper insisted immediately.

"Sit!" Charlie snaps pointing at one of the benches. "Don't touch anything, don't move— just _sit_."

"But _mom_." Harper whined.

"No." Charlie shook her head. "I've _got_ to focus kid, so sit there and play on your ridiculously expensive phone until I'm done. Then we will go and eat whatever you want." Charlie promised. She loved Harper, but her daughter was going to kill one of them if Charlie let her help any more.

"But I wanna—" Harper winced as Finn Hudson who was walking by slipped on the ice and went tumbling to the floor. She huffed and immediately shrunk back and headed over to the bench her mom pointed to and sat down.

"Charlie, I know she's my goddaughter and I love her but—she can't come to the gym with you for the rest of your camp. Your mom gave me a ton of money to get you ready, which is why Karofsky has been your sparring partner. And you're on a strict diet Charlie, you have eight weeks to get your cardio back up and make weight."

"She's _not_ your goddaughter, and I know I'll figure something out for her to do on weekends—"

"Well there's something that she can do that doesn't involve her carrying anything or touching _stuff_ , making sure that your snacking problem doesn't get out of hand. Its eight weeks Charlie and you need to _focus_. You know as well as I do that your daughter is a distraction."

Charlie made a face, "She's not, she just has a tendency to get underfoot—I'll figure something out," Charlie promises.

Puck nodded and patted Charlie on her back, "Don't worry I'll entertain her whenever I can. Now get back there and focus on your kicks, and your takedown defense. Lauren probably isn't going to trade with you and she _probably_ has no idea that you've got some pretty slick submission maneuvers in your arsenal."

Charlie rolled her eyes and pushed her mouth guard back into her mouth and adjusted the headgear. "Clean up the mess before Finn falls again," she comments after a moment and points to the ice on the ground. Her comment causes Puck to snort but nod.

~O~

It was a familiar sound of leather hitting leather, and the sharp smell of body odor that always made her wrinkle her nose in disgust. It no longer mattered that she had just finished a thirty-six hour shift and was practically dead on her feet, she just knew that she _had_ to be here at Puck's gym. At least she had managed to go home and shower before she had made the drive across town.

She _had_ wanted to simply ignore Puck's call as she stepped out of the shower and hit the bed but she had made the assumption that Puck was calling her for some basic first aid advice. In other words she was sure that Charlie needed some stitches or he was calling to check to make sure that Charlie hadn't managed to concuss herself. What she _hadn't_ expected was to overhear the conversation between the two of them, and she was still debating on whether she should confront Charlie, but the real reason she was here—

"Santana!" Harper yelled excitedly moving to get up before huffing when she realized that her mom had ordered her to stay put.

Santana was about to wave to Harper, when Charlie darted into her peripheral vision forcing her to turn to the ring. For a moment her heart stopped when she noticed Karofsky drop down low and moved quickly throwing himself as if he was trying to tackle Charlie to the ground. Charlie's actions were quicker as she switched her stance quickly, and almost immediately her knee _slammed_ forward and landed directly on Karofsky's chin. His mouth guard went flying into the air as he slumped hard onto the mat. Immediately Charlie turned to her a pleased smirk on her face. She understood the look immediately, it was primal and Charlie was showing off just for her, which is why she rolled her eyes and kept on walking. Charlie's ego was big enough and she wasn't here to see Charlie glistening and being— _sexy_. She had come to rescue Harper from the brutishness of being stuck around smelly alphas all day. "Harper, I heard that you needed me to come rescue you from time-out."

"Awesome!" Harper squealed. As much as she wanted to help her mom, this was _so_ boring. At least now she'd have someone to talk to.

Santana glances at Charlie, tilting her head towards her. "I'm borrowing your daughter for a few hours, don't worry I'll return her in one piece."

"What are we going to do?" Harper asks, not even waiting for her mom's permission.

Santana smirks, ignoring Charlie's dumbfounded look of surprise. Maybe it's that she just spent a whole shift on her feet, or maybe she's just a bitch but she's feeling particularly evil tonight. "We're going to go eat all the food your mom can't eat with us because she's trying to make weight."

"Like banana bread?" Harper asks, her eyes wide.

Santana shrugs, slightly surprised that _that_ was the first thing to come to Harper's mind. "Sure."

"Hey, what about me?"

"We'll bring you back a nice kale salad. Maybe a wheatgrass smoothie, too if you play your cards right."

Charlie shuddered at the idea, it sounded absolutely revolting. "I hate you."

Santana smirked pleased with the words, " _Good_ , next time don't punish your kid for _trying_ to help."

Charlie grumbled and nodded at Harper, "Go and get your jacket from the locker room, it's cold outside and I don't want you to get sick." She relaxes for a moment when Harper takes off and watches as Puck approaches Santana.

Santana eyes him warily, her reflexes too slow to stop him from embracing her in a warm sweaty hug. "Gross, get off me Puckerman, you smell like shit. I just showered."

Puck ignored her blatantly, holding her out at arm's length. "Before the kid gets back, I'll be honest. You need to sex her up until her brains turn to mush. It's your job as her omega." He pleaded, only mildly teasing.

"First of all, Charlie told me that fighters shouldn't have sex before their fight." Santana rolled her eyes at Puck's obvious attempt. She was furious with Dani, and if she had the chance again she'd do more than just throwing her out of her apartment. That _didn't_ mean she was just going to hop into bed with Charlie, even if that was exactly what her body wanted to do.

Puck shrugged and waved off her concern. "That's just—like two weeks before a fight, yeah. Sex would help her get focused." He frowned, growing serious. "But don't go into heat right before the fight. I might have to kill you then."

"As if you could." Santana shook her head, well aware that Charlie was watching this interchange with poorly disguised interest.

"Don't give me a reason to try." Puck challenged playfully. "But seriously. Sex. It's just what the doctor ordered."

"You do realize that I _am_ a doctor, right?" Santana retorts.

"Oh." Puck folded his arms over his chest. "Whatever. The point still stands."

"Whatever, but just because I'm an omega, doesn't make me Charlie's concubine. If anything, it makes Charlie mine. I should be able to have her sex me whenever I want."

Charlie stood up a little straighter at the challenge before narrowing her gaze. "Wait, what about Dani?" She didn't bother to hide that she had been listening.

Santana flicked her eyes to Charlie and held her gaze before the door opened and Harper came rushing to her side. It was enough to cause her to look at Harper and smile. "Come on Harper, before your mom feels the need to beat someone up to impress me."

Harper grinned at Santana moving to her side immediately and promptly ignoring her mom. "Can we have ice cream too?"

"Of course can, and when we get back you get to tell your mom about _all_ the yummy food that you got to eat, in great detail," Santana informed her.

"Santana," Charlie sighed exasperated that the omega wasn't answering her questions. "What about—" The smirk on Santana's face before she helped Harper with her jacket was enough to cause her to trail off for a moment. It was enough to make her mind race—did it mean that she actually had a _proper_ shot? She shook her head, "Harper _be_ good," she called out as Santana and Harper left the gym. She waited until the door closed before turning to Puck, he _may_ have had a point. She still wasn't quite sure _how_ she was going to mate with Santana without forcing her to go through her trauma and her life again but maybe there was something else that showed just how serious she was. Harper really was the best wingman.

~O~

Santana raised a brow as she watched Harper stuffing her face with french fries. She had already watched her devour a bacon cheeseburger with extra bacon and she was now finishing the fries on her plate. The whole thing had been slightly terrifying to watch. It was eerily similar to watching Quinn eating the same burger and she imagined Charlie was exactly the same.

"Are you going to eat that?"

Santana chuckles, following Harper's gaze to her own french fries. She takes one, munching on it exaggeratedly. "Damn straight I am." Sure, as an adult she should probably hand over her fries, but she never claimed to be a saint.

Harper giggles. She likes that Santana doesn't treat her like some little baby. "Can we get dessert after this, then?"

Santana pretends to mull the question over, "Only if we get pretzels too." Harper uses the last little reject fries to soak up the last of the ketchup that's spilled on her plate. It's so maddeningly adorable and pathetic that Santana has to resist the urge to pull out her camera and take a picture. "So I'm sure you've got questions, right? About me and your mom?"

Harper nods, looking up at Santana curiously. "Yeah."

"Ask them while your mom isn't here and I'll answer them." She promises. There might be some stuff that is awkward, but Harper's a smart kid and she deserves the truth.

"Are you and my mom getting back together?" Harper asks bluntly. She's not sure when she might get another chance like this and she doesn't want Santana to change her mind.

"I don't know." Santana admits. "It's been a long time."

"But you want to?" Harper presses.

Santana sighs, "It's more complicated than 'do I want to'." She frowns, thinking it over. "I love your mom and she's my mate. I don't know that I can just give up on that."

"But she hurt your feelings?" Harper surmised.

"I think we both hurt each other's feelings. Just because you find a mate doesn't make any of this easy. Your mom thought I did something and I didn't trust her enough to tell her that I didn't do it. It seemed better at the time for me to take the blame, but I guess it wasn't fair to her. I tried to move on, but I don't know that I can just forget about Charlie."

"I know my mom loves you. She missed you _a lot_." Harper reveals.

"I missed her too."

"So you guys should just talk and then we can be a family." Harper decides. Adults make things way too complicated. It seems pretty simple. "It can be like how it was, right?"

Santana frowns, she promised not to lie to Harper, but at this point she has no idea how to explain all of the conflicting convoluted emotions raging against each other. "I don't think it can be. Before I was pushing and pushing, and I just—I think I need to know that your mom isn't going to run away again." She settles on. It's the best explanation she can give.

"I don't understand." Harper frowns. "Weren't you happy before?"

"I was. But like I said before, even once you find your mate, adult relationships take a lot of work. Having a mate means that you've found your perfect balance. But that doesn't mean mates don't fight. They do. I know your mom and I will still fight, that's who we are, but I need to know that your mom will stick around after the fight."

"She's not going to punch you though." Harper points out.

"You're right. Which is lucky for me because my face is far too pretty." Santana teases, smirking when Harper grins. "But I need to know that despite everything, your mom is going to stick around. That she's willing to work at it. Does that make sense?"

Harper nods, "My grandpa said that my mom used to run away a lot, and she stopped running when I was born cause she knew she had to take care of me. He said that they offered to raise me for her and she said no. My grandma says that my mom doesn't know how to show other people that she loves them. She thinks that _they_ just know how she feels. But after you got into a fight with my mom she was super sad and she didn't want to do anything with me at all."

Santana bristles in annoyance, but tries not to let it show. Everything she had done for Charlie was in vain, because Harper still felt abandoned. "That's why I need your mom to show me that she can be the alpha I know she is. I think sometimes she kind of gets scared, you know? She forgets that she's a great alpha."

"She's the best and I want an alpha just like her, do you think I'll get one?"

Santana smiles, she can already see how Charlie would handle her little girl growing up. "You're going to find the perfect alpha Harper, and your mom will totally be annoyed that you don't need her anymore."

Harper is quiet for a moment, "I don't want to leave my mom alone. I don't think she'll be good by herself. That's why you and my mom have to mate."

Santana laughs and shakes her head. "We'll continue to work on it, that's all I can promise."


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: This story is almost done. How do I know this? Because this story has been completed for like months. I honestly can't even remember when I finished it, so this time you get an ending. If you want the full fic, and several other complete fics, then you can get them at . You don't have to, all my fics will be posted on fanfiction eventually.**

* * *

"At least I never lived in a trailer park," Charlie grumbled to herself as she got out of the car. She was missing _valuable_ training time to do this, and she had dug into her savings to be take a last minute trip to Texas. She had rented a damn car and everything to do this, and she only had a few hours so she could still make her return flight. This was something that she had needed to take care of _years_ ago, but maybe she had always held onto the hope that Mack would come back. But if she wanted to show Santana that she was serious, that they had a future together then she really needed to face her own demons.

Charlie glanced down at the return address from Harper's last birthday card to check and make sure she hadn't read it wrong. But this was it, with the old tires out on the lawn and the toys and other junk. She walked up the broken stairs making sure not to hurt herself. She immediately knocked on the door, hoping that Mack was home so she could quickly get this done and go home. She _hated_ Texas, it was too hot and humid.

"Who is it?"

She wasn't sure if she should dignify that with a response. But she really just wanted to get this over with. "It's Charlie."

"Charlie who?" The voice sounded again, sounding so confused that Charlie was almost worried that she had the wrong place.

"Charlie Fabray. I'm looking for Mack—McKenzie." She corrected herself.

 _"Shit_." The voice on the other side of the door cursed loudly. She heard a couple of bangs and crashes and then the door opened just a crack. "Charlie?"

"Mack?" Charlie almost took a step back in surprise. Sure, it had been almost ten years since she had seen her, but Charlie could barely recognize her. She wondered if she looked different.

"You went back to blonde," Mack said after a moment staring at Charlie like she was some sort of ghost. "Is—Harper okay?"

Charlie nods, "Yeah—Harper's fine. She's up to my shoulder. I think she might end up being taller than us both." Charlie scratches her cheek. "Can I—uh—you know come in? We need to talk and I'd rather do this privately."

"You _know_ he won't like that you're here." Mack frowned.

Charlie snorted loudly at that. "I don't care. You owe me, at the very least you owe me five minutes for us to have a long overdue discussion about our daughter."

Mack sighs and lets Charlie come in. She doesn't offer to let her sit, she knows how upset he'll get just at the smell of another alph in his home. "You're right. So what do you want?"

Charlie barely managed not to roll her eyes at Mack's clear attempt to get rid of her as quickly as possible. Apparently it was too much to ask for basic pleasantries. Whatever, if she never saw Mack again after this, it would be too soon. "I need you to do something I should have made you do ages ago."

"I can't take her." Mack interjects. She's never forgiven herself for abandoning her kid, but it would just make things too complicated. "That hasn't changed."

Charlie takes a step back. "I know it hasn't. I'm not _you,_ I can't just forget my own daughter."

"Our daughter." Mack corrects, bristling despite herself. "We made her together. Just because I can't take her doesn't mean I don't care about her."

Charlie arches her brow, "Seriously? She became my daughter the minute you dumped her on me without so much as a goodbye." She thrusts the paper she had come with, a document drawn up long before she ever met Santana that she just never got around to worrying about. "So sign over your rights and give me the chance to give Harper a family."

"A family?" Mack scoffs. "The Charlie I knew would have had nothing to do with a _family_."

"Yeah, well maybe I grew the hell up." Charlie folds her arms over her chest. Crawling back to your parents will do that to you, and while she doesn't regret any decision she made for Harper she's not stupid enough to think that she would have done that on her own.

Mack frowns, uncertain as to why she's so annoyed. Maybe she always held out a little hope that her first love would always be around if things didn't work out with her alpha, or maybe it's the idea of the family they could have had finally being forcibly torn away. "I did right by her, I could have easily have given her up but I didn't I gave her to you. Your family has _money_ , you've given her the _perfect_ life."

"Harper hasn't lived a charmed life, I've struggled just like you. You know dad cut me off when I dropped out. I made a living as an amateur fighter getting paid a shitty amount of money to put my life on the line. I've got scars on my body to prove it. I did everything to show my daughter what a _good_ alpha is supposed to look like and now I'm _finally_ starting to make a bit more money so _we_ can be comfortable." Charlie runs a hand through her hair. "Look, just please sign the documents. Harper should get to have a family, a proper family."

"Harper is _never_ going to have a proper family, you think another omega is going to take care of her?" Mack snaps at her, poking Charlie hard in the chest.

"It doesn't _matter_ , sign the papers don't make me make a huge deal out of this. Nothing changes, Harper and I get closure, and we might get a new beginning. You can still send her cards and on her eighteenth birthday you can contact her and let Harper decide."

"She doesn't _have_ anyone else, so if your new _omega_ kicks her out then where is she going to go?"

"That isn't going to happen, no one is going to stop me from protecting _my_ daughter. I'm never going to leave her side."

Mack stared at Charlie the jealousy bubbling dangerously close to the surface, it wasn't fair that another omega was swooping in and taking what should have been hers. A happy family with Charlie Fabray, even if Charlie had been cut off, she still must have _some_ access to the family fortune. They had never once been homeless, Charlie had lived a charmed life and Mack struggled to feed her kids. "Fine, I'll sign the papers but I need something in return."

"I don't do drugs anymore, they're expensive and I get tested like crazy. I also don't sell my body for food money. So whatever it is you want—"

Mack glanced around her dirty rundown hallway and even though she felt sick about what she was going to ask but Charlie _had_ money, she had _options_. She had always had options, and she was sure that there was no way that Russell or Judy would let their granddaughter starve. "Money, I need some money Charlie."

"You're extorting me?" Charlie asked incredulous.

"No, I just—I need help. Look at where I live. We need help and my mate got laid off at the factory the other day and the unemployment benefits are going to end soon. I just need some help, I need to be able to put food on the table for my kids." Mack responded immediately. "You just said things were going good for you."

"They are, but not that great—look can you please just sign the papers? I have to drive back to the airport and make it back in time to pick up Harper. I don't have the money now but after my next fight I can maybe send you something. I know what it's like to have a hungry mouth to feed and barely having any money. Baby food is expensive."

"Twenty-five thousand. It'll be enough for us to get out of this place Charlie and into a proper home and I'll be able to feed my kids for a while until Strando finds a job."

Charlie stared at Mack, she didn't have that lying around. She only had a few hundred in her savings account. If she won the championship fight that amount was her entire fight purse, and yeah she had some sponsorships but she did need the money. "I'll send you what I can send you Mack. Now sign the _damn_ papers."

Mack frowned, but it was a better answer than she ever could have hoped for. "Let me get a pen." She moved grabbing a pen from a nearby table and taking the documents and signing her name quickly everywhere there was an X before handing it back to Charlie.

"Thanks," Charlie mumbles quietly and rubs the back of her neck. "I should—you know go," she says after a moment and looks at Mack for a moment. She didn't know what the correct protocol for this was but she took a step back. "Bye Mack."

"Later, Blue," Mack responded looking at Charlie carefully. "You know you should go back to it. You did look good with the blue hair."

"Harper is far too impressionable. I don't want her copying me." Charlie responds quickly. She was done with that part of her life and wanted nothing to do with it anymore.

Mack nods and is quiet as Charlie opens the door and begins to head to the car. "Does she—ask about me?"

Charlie turned to look at Mack there was some hope in her eyes and Charlie _almost_ felt bad enough to lie. "No. She doesn't." She turns around immediately and heads to the car. Now to present it to Santana so they could start being a family.

* * *

"You've been ignoring me."

Santana jumped at the voice behind her. "Shit, Mami, you scared me." She lets out a deep breath and holds up the keys she had just been locking up with as evidence. "I was just leaving."

Maribel frowned, watching her daughter fidget guiltily. "You're off to see Charlie again, aren't you?"

Santana crossed her arms over her chest. "So what if I am?" She challenged. She hadn't been _ignoring_ her mother, per se. More like avoiding. But she didn't want to deal with this today.

"You're making a mistake," Maribel replied honestly. "You're not a teenager anymore and god knows you're far too old and stubborn to keep locked away, but Charlie is a mistake."

"No, pretending that Dani and I could be something more _was_ a mistake. Pretending that things were over between Charlie and I when all she has to do is look at me and smile and I know things are going to be okay was a mistake. Letting—"

"You can't mate with her," Maribel interrupts causing Santana to scowl at her. "You can't mate with her properly, and you need to think about yourself for a moment. You can be _content_ with someone else, Not Dani, but someone who will love you and you can love them. Charlie is damaged and you deserve better, I understand she's your mate and you're always going to be drawn to her but you need to think about the bigger picture."

"Like what? It's not _impossible_ for Charlie and I to mate it's just freaking hard, which means once it's done I'll appreciate it that much more," Santana argues before jamming her key into the door and unlocking it. She wasn't going to have this damn conversation in the hallway.

"She has a kid Santana, a child. Omega's like alphas are _not_ wired that way. Have you honestly thought about what's best for that child?"

"What's best for _Harper_ , that's her name by the way, is being in a family that loves her and learning how to eat with a goddamn fork because Charlie hardly cares about table manners. Also trying to break her bacon habit before she has a heart attack at twenty-five." Santana smiles for a moment before looking at her mother. "In case you haven't realized, I like Harper."

"But _liking_ Harper is a far cry from being prepared to be her _mother_." Maribel stressed.

"Harper has a mother, and a damn good one. I'm not looking to replace Charlie or even her biological mother. But I _can_ be there for her."

"Santana, you'll see when you have your own children—"

"My _own_ kids?" Santana rolled her eyes. "Get it through your head, Mami. I may never want to have my _own_ kids. It's _enough_ that there is a kid out there who needs me, and I need her. I want to talk to you about it, but I can't let you be a part of my life if you're going to spout garbage that Harper might hear."

"You can't mean that!"

"I do." Santana shrugs. "Charlie loves Harper more than anything, and more importantly she's shown me that she's going to be an excellent co-parent if we ever choose to have kids together. Sure Charlie needs to feed her more than mac and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches, and she definitely needs to put some vegetables into Harper's diet but the most important thing is that they want me in their family. You'd love Harper, she's smart, she's intelligent and she wants to be a doctor just like me." Santana smiles softly at the idea. "She was bullied you know, because kids learn this type of crap from their parents and they took it out on her and they didn't know what an awesome kid she was. So _damn_ right, I'm going to keep you away from her, and if I have another kid I'll keep you away from it too. I sure as hell don't want to let you be a part of their lives if you're going to treat my baby differently than you treat Harper." Santana pauses for a moment and inhales. "I'm doing you a favor because if Charlie overhears anything like that—well I really don't want the two of you fighting."

Maribel pinched the bridge of her nose. She wished Santana were still that little girl who she could distract with something expensive or shiny. "It was much easier when I was the best alpha in your life."

"You've been the _only_ alpha in my life." Santana counters. "But—"

A knock on the door startles both of them and Santana frowns. She really doesn't like it when people drop by unannounced and the last thing she needs is Quinn showing up like she owns the place. She doesn't even bother to check through the peephole as she opens the door. "What?" She snaps at the person only to see Charlie at the door. It's only for a moment, a split second because in the next moment she finds herself pressed against the nearest wall, Charlie's lips on hers.

Charlie groans into the kiss loudly, it had been far too long since she'd done this. She had dreamed about it, there had been many a nights where she had lain on her bed sleepless thinking about Santana and she could truthfully say that it didn't compare. Nothing compared to feeling Santana like this. "I missed you," she finally mumbles against Santana's lips.

" _Ahem_." Maribel coughs, loudly glaring at the alpha who was practically defiling her daughter in front of her. "Santana."

But Santana ignores her completely. Nothing had ever felt so right, it was certainly better than anything she had done with Dani. Just Charlie's presence was enough to get her going and she had been caught rather unaware. There would definitely be falling into bed with Charlie, she no longer had Dani as a buffer to stop her from doing something stupid. Even having Dani as a buffer hadn't stopped her from nearly doing this the other night after dinner.

" _Santana Maria Lopez_ ," Maribel barked at her daughter, which was enough for her daughter to finally push Charlie away and turn to her. She immediately shook her head looking at how her daughter's cheeks were flushed. "We were having a conversation, before we were so rudely interrupted."

"I think we're done." Santana doesn't look over, "You can see yourself out." When her mother didn't move she groans. "Charlie is supposed to be my concubine—"

"Santana!" Charlie flushes causing Santana to smirk at her. "Your mom already hates me, let's not make it worse."

"You leave without a word as to where you're going for an entire day." Santana pouted, really needing her mom to get out of here so she could force Charlie to make good on all of the promises she made in her most recent fantasies. "There better be a damn good reason for that."

Charlie beamed. "There is. I got Mack to terminate her rights to Harper." She held out the paper as proof. "I know we are still a long way from that, and I don't want to force you into anything, but—I'm serious about us being a family. I want to do this right."

Santana snatched the paper from Charlie's hands, stunned. "Did Harper tell you—?"

"Harper?" Charlie shakes her head. "No. I just want to show you—" She doesn't get a chance to finish when Santana's lips crash against hers.

Maribel crosses her arms and rolls her eyes at the display, not willing to admit that the sight of her daughter so clearly in love softens her heart just a little. Santana is her baby, and she wants her to be happy.

"You didn't have to do that." Santana pulls away just a little, somewhat dazed and overcome with desire.

"I know, but I needed to."

"So she just signed the papers, just like that?"

"Yeah, I mean, she was a real bitch about it. But she signed and I agreed to send her a little money."

"You did what?" Maribel steps forward, unable to help herself. Her mind is racing with the possible complications and has to know more. "You paid your child's mother to sign her away?"

"No!" Charlie shook her head, taking a step back at the accusation. "It wasn't like that. Mack _abandoned_ Harper but then when I told her I wanted to be able to move on, she said she wouldn't sign unless I paid her."

"Mom, what's with the third degree?" Santana's brow furrowed. This was exactly what she didn't want. She loved her Mom, but if it was a choice between Charlie and Maribel, she knew exactly who would win.

"Think Charlie, this is important: did she sign the papers before you agreed to give her the money?" Maribel stresses, ignoring her daughter. It's a disgusting omega that would neglect her own family for money but a bigger concern tugs at Maribel's legal expertise. She's not a family law attorney, but she's savvy enough to see a trap when it's put in front of her. Custody can be tricky but no court is going to look favorably on an alpha who threatened her former omega in order to start a new family. Any attorney worth their weight is going to be gunning for the Fabrays and it all depends on how they can frame the discussion.

Charlie scratches her head, thinking back. "No?" She replays the conversation in her head, "I don't think so. She signed and then we talked a little about the money."

Maribel lets out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. Maybe Charlie isn't as idiotic as she had first thought. "And did you agree to give her money only if she signed?"

"No. I said we'd talk about it." Charlie confirms, more confidently.

Maribel nods. "This is probably the most important: Charlie, did you offer her an exact sum? Or did she tell _you_ how much money?"

 _"Mami_." Santana barks realizing where her mother is going with this. "Charlie did not _bribe_ Harper's mother. She wouldn't do that."

Charlie's face pales, just realizing what Maribel must think. She knows Maribel doesn't approve, but she definitely doesn't want her to think she's some crook or bully. "No! It wasn't like that. She told me she wanted twenty-five thousand, but that was after she signed. I didn't even say I could give her that much because it's like a _huge_ amount of money and—"

"You did well." Maribel assures, cutting off Charlie's rambling. She can see the fear of a concerned parent and though she still wants to hate Charlie for everything she's put Santana through, she doesn't want to lose her daughter. If that means biting her tongue and helping the alpha her daughter wants to mate with, well, she's going to have to figure out a way to do it.

Charlie blinks. "Do you think? I told her I could give her what I could, but I've only got like two hundred dollars in my expense account. I was just going to give that to her—"

"No. It's good you didn't." Maribel assures, smirking a little as she notices her daughter's skeptical calculating gaze. It's nice to know that she can still baffle her kid, even if it does mean that she has to swallow her pride. "I understand if you want to help her, but if you do we'll want to make sure that we go about this properly."

"She never gave me anything, like child support or whatever." Charlie continues, "So she doesn't have anything like that she can hold over me."

"You were going to give her two hundred dollars?" Santana shakes her head and looks back at her future mate. She's felt how badly that rejection stung and she can't imagine how much it took Charlie to face Mack again.

Charlie shrugs. "Yeah, I mean she abandoned me with a baby and like I didn't even have five dollars to my name, but she's Harper's mother—"

"She _was_ Harper's mother." Maribel corrects.

It is more of an admission than Santana ever could have hoped for, "Mami?"

"You two need to talk." Maribel sighs, "I still don't necessarily trust you Charlie, but—" She turns to her daughter and smiles sadly, "Santana, I will always be on your side. I'll do whatever I can to help." She turns to let herself out of the apartment only to feel her daughter's arms circle around her waist like they haven't done since Santana was a child.

"Thank you." Santana whispers. It's not everything she's asked for, but it's a start.

"Te quiero, mija."


	31. Chapter 31

Santana's fingers dug into Charlie's shoulders, she can't help but smirk as Charlie leans up to kiss her. It was rare super rare to be with an alpha who let her have complete control, let alone being on top like this. Which was why she smacked Charlie's chest hard. " _No._ You're my concubine remember?" Her breath catches as she says slides back down Charlie's dick. Even after all this time, Charlie just fit.

Charlie growled lowly even though she placed her hands on Santana's hips and began to move her hips with her. She wanted—no she needed to push Santana onto the damn bed and remind her that she was hers. Being here right now when the smell of Dani lingered was driving her instincts wild. It was a battle to simply remain as the more passive partner, allowing Santana to simply take pleasure from her. "Santana—"

" _Shush_ ," Santana groans smacking her against the chest again, she can feel her orgasm growing and she really just wants to ride it out _literally_ on Charlie. She glances down, and it's the lust filled glance that Charlie is giving her, the fact that Charlie's fingers are digging into her hip and the fact that for once Charlie is obeying her, but the orgasm wracks her body. It's not the hardest orgasm she's ever had, but it's still satisfying how easily she had gotten there with Charlie. " _Fuck_."

Charlie groans as she feels Santana's pussy grip her dick for a moment, ever since Harper had been born she'd been celibate, getting herself off with her hand whenever she really needed to, but Santana had awoken something in her that she hadn't felt since she had been a teenager. It's the moment that she feels Santana try and pull off her still very hard dick that she decides that Santana's had enough fun with her as a concubine or at the very least a living breathing sex toy and digs her fingers deeper into Santana's hips, using her hips and her abdomen to begin to thrust upward, pulling Santana deeper onto her dick. She didn't hesitate to begin to fuck Santana in this position at a steady pace.

Santana immediately bit down on her lip, she had always been sensitive after an orgasm and Charlie wasn't letting her rest, " _Fuck_ , Charlie you're supposed to be my concubine," she bitches at her trying to get her to at least ease up but Charlie didn't seem to be listening and she can't help but tilt her head back and moan loudly. She smacks Charlie on the chest again as she sits up and wraps a lip around one of her nipples sucking on it as she pounded her pussy from the position they were in. She both hated and loved Charlie's core muscles because it was difficult enough to get the required force to push her hips upward, but Charlie was doing it like a pro. She needed to make sure Puck knew that whatever Charlie's workout schedule was she needed to keep that damn core strong.

A lazy smile crosses Charlie's face as she thrusts upward again grinding herself inside Santana and listening to her whimper while watching her head fall back again. "I know and you said something about turning your mind into mush," Charlie responded running her tongue along her lips. She could feel it in the pit of her stomach, the urge to mate with Santana, it pulsed through her _every_ single time they had sex, wanting to make Santana hers permanently. There would never be another Dani in their lives, Santana was _hers_ as much as she was Santana's. The thought of being with another omega didn't appeal to her not anymore.

Santana leans forward immediately, she could see the war on Charlie's face right now and they didn't need to complicate whatever this was. "I promised after your fight," she mumbles against Charlie's lips kissing her. "After the damn fight, you need to be focused on winning." Plus she was a hundred percent sure that Puck would _murder_ her if they attempted to mate and it didn't go right.

Charlie groans, she had already won being inside Santana certainly felt like winning to her, as she begins to move her hips faster, thrusting upward, "After the fight," she mumbles. Win or lose she was definitely taking Santana with her so they could attempt to mate again until it simply stuck. The thought of fucking her mate in every aspect of her apartment. Her hips buck upward and she leans forward letting Santana kiss her deeply, it's enough to stop her from attempting to mate with her as she finally cums hard, she can feel Santana's legs quaking on her own thighs and she can definitely feel the liquid that comes splashing from Santana's spasming pussy as she herself cums hard. Yet another reason she _loved_ this woman.

~O~

Charlie shifted against Santana's ridiculously high thread-count sheets, poking Santana gently in the side. Even if they weren't mating yet, having Santana laying naked beside her was the best feeling in the entire world.

Santana groaned. Charlie might be ready, but her body still felt like jello. "Calm down tiger. I'm going to need a minute."

Charlie sighs petulantly, but acquiesces. She can wait a minute. One. Two. Three—

Santana looks over and rolls her eyes, slapping Charlie lightly on the arm. "Stop counting in your head. I meant a minute figuratively, not like actually sixty seconds you loser."

Charlie smirks. "Fine, I'll just use my hand this time." She moves to grab her dick when she feels Santana's fingers wrap around her wrist.

"Where is Harper?" Santana asked hoping that bringing up her daughter would put a damper on Charlie's mood. Judging by how Charlie crinkled her nose it had worked.

"My daughter is with my mother they're shopping for stuff."

"Fight stuff?"

"Harper is going to this like fancy party thing, one of her friends invited her and she needs to dress up. I offered and she made this face before saying yes. So I gave her to my mother."

"You're a good mom." Santana observes, trailing her fingers along Charlie's forearm.

"Are you saying that because you want kids?" Charlie props herself up on her side to quietly gauge Santana's response.

"I'm saying it because it's true." Santana stresses, shifting to mirror Charlie's position. "Maybe I'll want kids in the future, like adopt a kid a few years from now. But I'm not really baby crazy if that is what you're asking."

"Well, parenting is basically making things up as you go along, hoping that you don't raise the next serial killer."

Santana gives Charlie a dry look. "Way to set the bar incredibly low, by that standard you're the best parent in the world. Now if you could only teach Harper how to eat with a damn fork. You'll win parent of the year."

Charlie smiles, "You're going to be Harper's mom too. She's almost a teenager, I figure she's going to need you. You know to help with the omega thing and going into heat and stuff." It's an admission that causes her to flush when Santana's jaw drops. Santana was a doctor she should be able to do it in a proper way that didn't make Harper feel that uncomfortable. Her parent's hadn't really given her the talk. Her father had just thrown a pack of condoms at her and informed her to not get her mate pregnant. Harper was going to go into heat and she personally had no idea how that stuff worked, all she knew was that when Santana was in heat she became like a horny teenager.

"Charlie, how have you not given her the talk yet?" Santana asks, slightly horrified. Harper was ten and was already starting puberty. It wouldn't be long until she got her first heat.

"Well I gave her a book." When Santana didn't look impressed Charlie tried again. "It had pictures and she can read. I told her to read it and ask me any questions she had—though I'm not sure she read it. Or you know—she's too embarrassed. So—"

"Serious question, how did she make it past early childhood?"

"Probably my mother and Rachel and a bit of Quinn helping me. I did get her potty trained though so you know credit where credit is due. She was using the potty earlier than usual." Charlie responds a proud smile on her face. She had also been reading before others.

"You got tired of changing diapers didn't you?" Santana asked, when Charlie smiles she knows that she has her answer. Harper really did need her. It was nice even though the idea terrified her, she wasn't like other omegas she knew that. She didn't have the drive to settle down, even with her mate right beside her, the idea of a white picket fence was not pleasant for her.

"You're great with Harper, just set some ground rules and everything will be okay. I mean as partners go, you're probably a better role model for her than I am. You're a doctor and you probably have respectable friends. The guys at the gym are hardly civilized. Good guys but the last thing I need is for her to learn Puck's mannerisms."

"Please at least they don't gossip about your life. Puck is halfway decent with her but I can see why you don't want her asking him for omega advice. 'Do your duty as an omega and turn her mind to mush.' It's terrible advice."

"It's Puck. Let's be honest, it's expected." Charlie reminds her. "Speaking of—how are you doing? Ready to go a few more rounds?"

Santana can't help but roll her eyes, before smirking at Charlie, "Actually you know what—I think that you should use your hand for me. You know put on a bit of a show and get me in the mood."

Charlie laughs and moves the blanket a bit so Santana can have a good look as she grabs her dick for her. She'd never had to do this for anyone before but if it turned Santana on, well she could certainly put in a huge effort.

~O~

Judy Fabray crinkled her nose when her daughter jogged up to the car to help them with all the shopping bags. "Charlie," she greeted, letting her tone indicate her displeasure. She watched as Charlie hesitated for a moment and looked at her before flushing deeply.

"I told you mom, I had some business to attend to this morning and I got back and—"

Judy held up her hands, "Any business that you have should be cleared through me, as your manager I should have an idea of any offers or—"

"I was in Texas seeing—" Charlie pauses for a moment as her daughter exits the car and tries to hurriedly explain before Harper overhears. "Mack. I saw Mack, I got it done though."

"Got what done?" Harper asks moving to hug her mom who immediately lifts her up in the air. " _Mom!_ "

"I'm not _that_ old, I can lift you up cause you're always going to be my little girl," Charlie responds with a laugh putting her daughter down. Hopefully it was enough to distract her.

But Harper wasn't about to be so easily dissuaded. "You saw my birth mom?" She asked, furrowing her brow as she tried to figure out why Charlie would go see her.

Charlie grimaced internally, but tried to force a casual smile. "Yeah."

"Oh." Harper bites her lip, mulling over the information. It wasn't that she worried her mom would abandon her or anything, she just really didn't know how she felt about it.

Judy watched the exchange closely. "Why did you go see Mack?" She asks, mostly for Harper's benefit than her own. She's fairly certain why Charlie felt the need to take off to Texas, but she can't say that she necessarily approves.

"I needed her to sign some documents." Charlie explains cryptically.

"What kind?" Harper cocks her head to the side curiously. Her mom _never_ talks about Mack.

"I wanted her to sign some papers so that when the time comes, Santana can adopt you and we can officially be a family. Is that cool with you?"

Judy frowns in distaste. She should have expected her youngest child wouldn't handle this conversation with the decorum and tact that she should have. Harper didn't need some candid explanation, she was far too young to have to worry about custodial issues. "Charlie."

"So she's not my mom anymore?" Harper asks bluntly.

"She's _always_ sort of going to be your mom, you were inside her tummy but she did this because she loves you and wants what's best for you," Charlie lies seamlessly, ignoring the raised brow her mother shot her way. She knew that look. "Santana is going to sign the papers as soon as she asks you if this is what you want," Charlie says softly nudging her daughter.

"I do but—" Harper hesitates for a moment but at the gentle nudge from her mom she sighs. "She's not going to want to get rid of me too right? Like she won't get bored with me or find some other alpha and not want to be my mom anymore will she?"

Charlie swallows, gutted that Harper feels like that. That she's nothing more than disposable trash. "Of course not. Santana's not going to just abandon you." She forces a smile onto her lips. "She's not going to just leave you alone with me. She's already horrified that you eat so much mac and cheese. And I think she really wants you to become a doctor like her—but you can be anything you want. You don't _have_ to be a doctor or a surgeon. She's going to love you all the same. She just—she wants to be a family with us, but it's important to her—and to me that you make sure it's what you want."

Harper watches her mom for a moment before nodding, "I really like Santana. But—she's just going to be bossy to you right?" A small smile crosses her face as her mom finally puts her down.

"We're in this together kid, we've got to stay firm when she tries to take away our bacon and the mac and cheese," Charlie huffs and Harper laughs at this. Charlie puffs out her cheeks slightly annoyed that her daughter thinks she's kidding but she accepts the hug from her. "We'll talk to you about it this weekend."

"You smell like her," Harper comments and then crinkles her nose. "Gross mom."

Charlie rolls her eyes, "Go get started on your homework. I smell _amazing_ thank you very much. Santana uses the fancy soap and shampoo and conditioner. Look at my hair Harper, it's never been so awesome before."

Harper shakes her head and grabs a few bags from her grandmother before taking off to go inside. "I'm going to go show this to grandpa!"

Judy waits until Harper is far out of earshot before appraising her daughter carefully. "How much?"

Charlie takes a step back. "What? I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Charlotte, it's been ten years and I _know_ you've tried to contact her before. So how much did she ask for? Tell me at least that you didn't give in to her first offer."

"We're talking about my _daughter_." Charlie stresses. "I'm not going to negotiate like it's some business transaction."

"Charlie—"

"No. I mean, I told her I'd send her what I could." Charlie interrupts. "Which is nothing. She doesn't get any say in the matter and honestly, the way I see it she owes me plenty of money to begin with. I wouldn't be nearly as annoyed with her if she made the damn trip up to see Harper at least once a year. Or did more than send crappy cards. Skype is a thing, or at least gave me some money to try and help raise her. But she didn't. I just wanted the papers signed. She's not getting anything from me. Certainly not twenty-five thousand dollars so she can feed the damn kids she decided to keep. She already established that they aren't my problem just like Harper's not hers." Charlie insists, trying to take the hardline approach, even though she knew she would probably end up sending something to Mack anyway. It hadn't hurt nearly as much to see Mack as she thought it would, but it had hurt enough. Despite everything Mack had done to her, the omega had given her the greatest gift in the world and in doing so had probably saved her life. More importantly, Mack was _still_ Harper's biological mother, Harper might need a kidney or something from her at some point.

"Twenty-five thousand dollars?" Judy mused. It was nothing a drop in the bucket for someone like her but for her daughter who in reality still couldn't truly access her trust fund until she mated, it was quite a bit of money.

"I know, she's insane, right?" Charlie shook her head in disbelief.

"Don't worry about it, your father and I will take care of it."

"Mom, no."

Judy waved away Charlie's dismissal. "That omega will not get a penny from _you_." Judy stresses. She knows Charlie well enough to know that she'll probably second guess herself and send that gold-digger money without telling someone. She'll _probably_ do something ridiculous like send cash through the mail, which would be _terrible_ because it would just be setting Charlie up to be a victim of blackmail and extortion. It was never _just_ twenty-five thousand dollars. But her daughter had a gentle heart despite everything that Mack had put her through. So she tried a different tactic. "If she later attempted to contest the adoption it would look questionable to see that you had given into her demands."

Charlie frowns. That made a lot of sick sense, but she couldn't just let her parents swoop in and save the day. "That's what Maribel said, I think. But she's _still_ Harper's biological mother and I can't just not help. It's my responsibility."

Judy sighs thoughtfully, if Mack's mate had been smart he would have insisted that Mack keep Harper. As a mated omega she likely would have been given sole or at least primary custody and it would have given them a direct link to the Fabray fortune. She may not be Santana's biggest fan, especially since she nearly chose some power hungry alpha over Charlie, but at least the surgeon is better than what Charlie could have ended up with in Mack. "She is not your responsibility. She chose another alpha, and no matter what blood connection she has to your daughter, she's certainly not relied on you for anything previously."

Charlie mulls over that idea.

"Your father and I will be discreet, of course. But Harper is our granddaughter and although you like to forget it, you are our daughter. We needed to do a better job of protecting you, and we didn't. Please. Let us do this for you." Judy is practically begging. She had suspected for a while the dark ghosts that had tormented her daughter, but since those suspicions had been confirmed both she and Russell have tried to be better parents.

Charlie hesitates for a moment before nodding, "Okay, I need to focus on my fight, I can't worry about Mack or her alpha. Lauren not pounding me into paste should be the foremost thing on my mind." Charlie sighs and looks at her mother. "Thanks mom," Charlie says leaning in and wrapping her arms around her mother. "Now I've got to go make dinner for Harper and help her with her homework."

"And look over the emails I sent you, we need to start showing you off to the world Charlie. You don't need to fight for the rest of your life. There's some photoshoots and a few new sponsors that I've managed to get for your approval. Do take the time to look it over." Judy informed her leaning in to kiss her daughter's cheek. "And don't forget your father will start coming to your gym and if he doesn't you just let me know."

Charlie groaned, she really didn't want to get between her parents bickering but she knew her mom only cared about her dad's health. "Will do," she mock salutes before getting the rest of the bags and heading back inside.


	32. Chapter 32

"Wow, it really didn't take you long."

The voice startled Santana as she dropped her purse onto the ground spilling the contents everywhere. She had just been rooting in the damn thing for her keys so she could finally go home. It had been a long two days where she had once again been the ortho on call. She turns quickly, annoyed as she looks at Dani Harper. "Do you just lurk in parking structures? Is that a _thing_ that you do now? Fucks sake, you could have given me a fucking heart attack." Santana hisses at Dani.

"The hospital is just next door, you'd live," Dani retorts harshly pulling herself off the wall and moving towards Santana. She could smell Charlie's scent all over her and it was driving her crazy. "I thought we could finally talk but it seems you've moved on."

"You walked out—"

"You _threw_ me out of your apartment." Dani counters.

"You wanted space and then I threw you out of my apartment. You could have stayed and we could have worked things out. Hell, I _called_ you twice and you didn't pick up. Throw in the fact that my mom knew about my business, which meant you went to rat me out to my _mother_ can you really blame me for thinking that whatever we had is over?" Santana crosses her arms over her chest taking a step back. At this moment in time she didn't want to deal with Dani's scent being all over her. Charlie was possessive in a way that Dani had never been, and she figured that if Charlie got even a whiff of Dani on her then she wouldn't be walking for the next few days. She paused for a moment debating on whether that was something she wanted or not.

"You called me twice while I was in court! It would be like me calling you during a surgery and getting pissed that you didn't pick up."

"I left messages, you could have called me back and you didn't, so don't blame this on me. I'm not the type of person to leave someone a thousand messages—trying to talk to them when it's clear they don't want to talk to me," Santana retorted immediately. It was a bold-faced lie, when Charlie had cut her out of her life she had been desperate. Though if Charlie attempted to bolt again she certainly had no intention of calling Charlie a billion times. She'd just track her down and drag her back.

"Are you _forgetting_ that Charlie came to the door and you basically decided to make decisions based on what she'd want? Giving her hope that you two would be together? You did that right in front of me. So yeah I got angry, I got upset that you weren't on my side. You're my girlfriend—you were supposed to be my mate."

"I was your _replacement_." Santana corrects, they had used each other and it's time she own up to it. She and Dani _aren't_ getting back together, and she just wants this to be done. She thought she had been clear before, and when Dani ignored her she figured they were on the same page. Apparently not. "Don't go and re-write history here. I spent months trying to get you to give me five minutes and it was only when you felt the threat of another alpha that you gave me the time of day."

"I'm not going to apologize for trying to take care of you." Dani insists.

Santana pinches the bridge of her nose. She's tired and all she wants to do is to go home and relax, maybe snuggle on the couch with Charlie if she gets a chance. Despite all the bitching that she had done about Charlie not making her a priority, after their failed attempt things had been much better. Charlie was around when she needed her within reason, yeah Harper probably ranked a bit higher than her but she wasn't going to be jealous of a ten year old. "Goodbye Dani, I wouldn't lurk around here anymore. Tina carries bear mace. Don't ask me why but she does and if you sneak up on her she will probably use it."

"That's it?" Dani demands taking a step forward.

Santana raises a brow, "Step back Dani. You need to remember that you work for my mom and even though my mother _hates_ Charlie, she's going to accept her as my mate. So if you even lay a hand on me, or anything of the sort I will kick your ass and then after I kick your ass, I will make sure that you can't bother me again," Santana snapped at Dani. If she did decide to crash with Charlie, she certainly didn't want to go smelling like Dani. Harper was impressionable and she didn't want to give her the wrong idea.

Dani frowns and takes a step back. "For all your talk, we both know the truth and that was that Charlie, the person who was supposed to be your damn alpha, tossed you aside like a used dishrag. Alpha's like that, well they make a habit of doing shit like that, so when she does it again and she will, don't you dare come crawling back to me."

"Trust me I won't," Santana scoffs, she doesn't take her eyes off Dani. She doubts that the lawyer would attack her but she can never be too sure with these damn alphas. The truth was while they had both probably used each other to try and move on, Dani had certainly dated her for the _perks_ of being the daughter of the District Attorney and for the connections that she had. She hadn't really minded at the time, but now she had Charlie and she wasn't about to let her go. Her phone vibrates in her pocket and even though she's tempted to pick it up, she doesn't until Dani's completely out of sight. Even then she quickly slips into her car and locks the door before she pulls her cellphone out of her purse. There was a simple text message from Charlie and she relaxes a bit.

 **Charlie: Want to help me pick out my entrance music? I trust your opinion better than Harper's and my mother's.**

Santana laughs and shakes her head before texting Charlie back, she could go for something simple right about now.

~O~

Quinn looks up from her phone when the door chimed, smirking when Santana walks into the diner. She's stiff and moving slowly and there's only _one_ reason she'd be walking like that—

"Nope." Santana shakes her head when Quinn opens her mouth to make some pointed snarky comment, pulling off her sunglasses. "Don't say anything. I don't want to hear it."

Quinn snorts indelicately. "Okay. Fine. I won't bring it up, but I'm glad you are finally answering my messages."

"Well, I had nothing better to do today—"

"Clearly that's not true," Quinn interrupts and then holds up her hands when Santana shoots her a withering glare. "I'm sorry, I can't help myself, like it's just so easy. What the hell did you do to make my twin go all Rambo on your—"

"Finish that thought and I swear I will get up and walk out of here," Santana snaps at Quinn immediately. She relaxes when Quinn's mouth shuts and she picks up the menu to read it.

"The question still stands, what did you do to make Charlie all possessive?" Quinn asks. She was intimately familiar with that walk, whenever Rachel had to do a sex scene or kiss another actor she walked like that.

"I did nothing, Dani showed up at work, lurking cause apparently that's a thing she does now. I got her scent on me, then I showed up to rescue your sister from Harper and her mother. We ate, we talked and when Harper went to bed—" She had been caught unaware. "I barely got any sleep last night," Santana grumbled, but she couldn't hide her amusement completely and Quinn rolled her eyes. If Harper hadn't decided that she was hungry in the morning and Charlie didn't have to go to training she _certainly_ would still be naked in Charlie's bed. "Seriously what do you want Quinn?"

Quinn shrugged and reached for her water, "For us to be friends again, and to you know go out and do shit like we used to? Apparently I'm not very good at having friends and Rachel thinks I've become a hermit since you and I stopped talking as much. Charlie doesn't really like to spend time with me, and I hate hanging out with people from work. Apparently I'm teaching Beth horrible habits."

Santana snorted and tapped the table before looking at Quinn. "I'm still pissed at you for getting involved. I told you to leave it alone."

"She's my sister, and more importantly she's my twin, Santana. Mating is important, and you two are far from being betas so the fact that you seemed to be attempting to do it the beta way was cause for concern. It's _still_ a cause for concern. Since we were teenagers I've always wanted what was best for my twin and I feel guilty that I wasn't able to stop her life from spiraling like it did. She was on a different trajectory back when she was a teenager and now—well, a year ago Charlie had this thing where she self-destructed anytime she was happy. I honestly thought it was just Charlie being weird, I never expected it to be—well _that_." Quinn admits. "When I found out—when Rachel walked me through it—I just wanted her to know that it was okay. That I didn't see her as _less_."

Santana shook her head, "Everything was finally working the way it was supposed to. Why didn't you come to me, and how did you think Charlie was going to take it? You're an alpha. If anyone should have understood, it should have been you. What were you thinking? Bringing it up in that way?"

"I don't know, I just—I wanted her to know that it was okay. I needed her to know that it wasn't her fault and that I didn't think any less of her, at least not because of that. Charlie has a multitude of issues and that wasn't something that I was going to poke at. I wanted her to know that I may not understand but _I understand_? I don't know. I just wanted her to know that I was there for her, maybe it was guilt, maybe it was something else I just wanted to fix it."

"You made it worse, I had a whole plan on how to help Charlie and it did include telling you, I was just hoping to be mated to her first, so the past year didn't have to happen."

"It never should have happened, you should have just told her the truth. Charlie doesn't get upset with Harper. Not really. She really doesn't like to discipline." Santana snorted at this causing Quinn to look up and raise a brow. "Not like that, she doesn't like disciplining Harper. Harper is a good kid regardless, so it's not like Charlie ever really needs to do it much anyway but every kid sort of goes through their terrible twos and Harper really wasn't an exception to that rule. Charlie struggled to punish her, she couldn't stand to see Harper cry. Honestly Harper could have grown up to be a manipulative little shit, with how she had Charlie wrapped around her fingers."

"It was a year Quinn—"

"You honestly think that you were the only one that Charlie froze out of her life. She went out of her way to _only_ deal with Rachel. I would have put a stop to it earlier, or tried to pull Charlie back if I could. Look I'm not sure if I said it or not, but I'm sorry. Honest to god, I'm sorry for meddling."

"I know." Santana admits. She does believe that Quinn's sorry for the way her relationship with Charlie had deteriorated. "But let's be real here, you can't help yourself from meddling, I probably should have seen that coming from a mile away."

"Thanks?"

Santana watches her closely before sighing. "Fine, I forgive you. But it's going to cost you babysitting whenever Charlie and I want a night alone."

Quinn smirks. _She_ should have known Santana had a plan up her sleeve. "Deal."

Santana narrowed her eyes. "And the entire week after we mate." She adds for good measure. Quinn had agreed too quickly, which meant Santana needed to milk this for all it was worth.

"So you have a date?"

"After Charlie wins the belt, I imagine as an alpha her emotions will be running high and all that adrenaline," Santana's quiet for a moment and then smirks. "It's going to be quite a night, I don't even know if I'll survive a week."

"Okay, gross," Quinn made a face. "I still don't want to hear details about your sex life."

"You sure? You might learn something. You know Charlie's not afraid to go down on me, she does this thing with her tongue— _fuck,_ I don't know where she learned to do it but my god."

"Yeah, I've changed my mind I don't think we should do this anymore," Quinn made a face as Santana laughed. Why had she thought that this was a good idea?

~0~

Santana unlocked the door to her apartment, glancing over at Harper who still had a worried look on her face. "Don't worry about it." She assures, ushering them both inside. Harper's been on edge since yesterday when Charlie blew up at the both of them for washing the dishes too loudly. Santana had quietly made the executive decision that this close to the fight Charlie needed some time alone. While Charlie had begrudgingly agreed, Harper had been a little disappointed she couldn't stay and take care of her mom. It was becoming obvious that the more anxious Harper got the clumsier she got.

"But I spilled my drink in your fancy car." Harper frowns. Santana's car was like the cars people drove in the movies and she felt really bad about making a mess.

Santana shrugs. "It's just a car." She notes that Harper is still looking a little glum. "I'm serious. I pay people a lot of money to clean my car, it's about time we give them something to really challenge them." Red kool-aid would be nearly impossible to clean out of her white carpets, but she couldn't find it in herself to be mad. "Besides, maybe when this is all over with, you can help me pick out a new car."

"Really?" Harper grins for the first time all day. "You'd let me help."

"Well you'll be riding in the car a lot," Santana reasons, putting her keys on the counter and sliding into her kitchen. It's already dark outside and she curses herself for not just grabbing dinner from some drive-thru. She's trying to keep the kid healthy, and heaven knows that Harper's eaten plenty of junk food in her life, but it's probably not good to have dinner so late. She's glad when Harper hops up on the barstool instead of trying to help. "We'd need to make sure it's cool enough for the both of us."

"And mom." Harper adds.

"That goes without saying." Santana agrees, opening the fridge to scan for something quick and easy that she could make. "But your mom wouldn't know a cool car if it ran her over."

Harper snorts but doesn't say anything in reply.

Santana waits a beat, grabbing some vegetables and chicken to make stir fry before turning back to the pre-teen. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Harper shrugs.

Fuck. She liked it when Harper just told her what was on her mind. Now she was going to have to guess. "Are you worried about your mom?"

"She was really mad at us." Harper notes.

Santana nods. "Yeah, but only because she was cranky from her crazy diet."

"And we left her."

Santana sees Harper's train of thought. "We did. We did it because it was best for her, and once she finishes her fight we'll all go out to dinner and things will go back to normal."

"But who is going to take care of her?"

"You do know that your mother is an adult and is pretty capable of taking care of herself, right?"

Harper levels Santana with a knowing look and Santana caves.

"Fine. I know you're worried, I am too. But that's why Puck is going to watch out for her. He'll make sure that she takes care of herself."

"Uncle Puck used to tell me about all the trouble they used to get into—are you _sure_ it's a good idea?" Harper presses.

"Most of those stories are greatly exaggerated or completely untrue," Santana points out. "By the time she met Puck you were already born and she wasn't doing crazy and wild things anymore." Santana smiles, "Puck told them to make your mom look _cool_."

Harper makes a face, "You're cool—mom is—" she trails off trying to find the right word for it. "She tries really hard—but she's sort of embarrassing."

"She is, isn't she?" Santana laughs. "But, I think—don't tell your mom—I think that she's pretty cool sometimes."

Harper's flashes Santana a knowing smile, "You mean when she's fighting?"

"No—well yes, but I mean she does things that surprise me and I think to myself—there's no one else like her. I think her determination to keep you safe, and protected and her love for you is pretty cool. Most of the time."

Harper puffs out her cheeks, "Yeah, I guess. I like it when she wins, though."

"I'll tell you a secret." Santana smirks. "I think it's pretty nice when she wins. I think when she fights it reminds her of what a good alpha she is, too. Sometimes even your mom needs a reminder."

"She is pretty great." Harper sighs. "But I still wish she'd let me do what I want to do."

Santana stops chopping vegetables and looks up. "What do you want to do?"

"Play soccer." She admits with a shy smile. "Mom used to do it, I've seen videos from grandpa and she was _really_ good. I play with Beth sometimes and sometimes my friends and I play. I _know_ I could be really good if she'd let me play."

Santana puts down the knife. Fuck. "Soccer?"

Harper nods. "Do you think you could ask her for me?"

Santana blows out a breath, still blinking. She _knows_ that this is issue is like navigating a minefield and it's not fair because Harper doesn't know _why_. However, there's no way in hell she's having _that_ conversation with Charlie's daughter. "That's probably a conversation you should have with her." She allows.

Harper groans. "It's not _fair_ , she won't even give me a reason she just says no. It's not like it's dangerous, right? It's a lot safer than fighting," she mutters the last part.

"Well, I see quite a few ACL tears and other injuries to the knee and ankle, so it's not like it's perfectly safe," Santana lectures and sighs. "Harper, your mom has a _reason_ for not letting you play soccer. I don't know if it's a good reason, but it's a reason that makes sense to her. So maybe—you need to work with her. You know ask her to coach your soccer team, she might say yes to that." Plus it might actually be healthy for Charlie.

Harper crinkles her nose, "Really? You think she'll coach the team? The school is always looking for parent volunteers. My homeroom teacher is disappointed that my mom doesn't really help with anything. Like she doesn't go to those meetings or help with the bake sales or the silent auctions and stuff."

Santana snorted, "Can you really see your mom selling cupcakes?"

Harper grins, "No not really, but it would be funny wouldn't it?"

"It would." Santana agrees. "Realistically, she'd probably buy all the cupcakes and eat them all," Santana shakes her head.

"Uncle Puck would _murder_ her." Harper giggles, she could see it now. Her uncle Puck chasing her mom all over the gym yelling at her. "Maybe we should call her just to make sure she's okay. Grandma got her an iPhone so we can facetime her."

"Yeah, I think that's wise," Santana agrees watching as Harper pulls out her phone. At the very least it would be hilarious to watch Charlie attempt to work her phone.


	33. Chapter 33

If there was one thing that Charlie hated more than anything, possibly even more than she hated betas, it was cutting weight. Losing the last fifteen pounds had always been a _bitch_ , but it was something that she was supposed to be getting used to now that she had gone professional. It was a bit of a process that lasted for most of the week, but if she was going to fight for the championship belt she needed to make sure that she wasn't even a gram over the weight limit. Which meant depriving herself of water, which meant eating tiny ass meals and controlling her salt-intake. She couldn't have carbs or fruit or starches, and most importantly bacon was out. It was hell on earth, the saunas were the worst part about the whole experience.

Well no, the worst part about the whole experience was that Puck had decided to camp out at her house to make sure that Santana was nowhere near her. She certainly had no idea what Puck thought she was going to do, she felt like shit and losing anymore fluids would probably kill her. The only time that she had seen Santana was when her future mate had whisked Harper away the first time that she had yelled. She hadn't meant to, but cutting weight always made her irritable.

But she had done it. Months of training and starving herself was going to pay off, if she ever managed to make it out of this stupid sauna. Truth be told, she'd probably like it if it was any other time, but today it just felt like another fucking hoop she had to jump through for this championship fight. Her phone beeps, signaling that she's done sweating it out and she sighs gratefully before slipping out into her locker room. It's the first time she doesn't have to share, which is one of the benefits of a championship fight, but it just serves to remind her how much is on the line.

"Okay Puck time to weigh me—" She pulled off her towel quickly, drying off the sweat lest it add even a milligram to her weight.

"Surprise!" A collective call startled her. She only had a second to register that her daughter was in the room before she fumbled around with her towel, trying to cover herself.

"You guys shouldn't be in here." She barked immediately. It probably had more to do with the fact that she could smell Santana on them even though her future mate was nowhere in sight.

Rachel immediately covered her daughter's eyes and then after a thought reached over to place a hand over Harper's eyes too. "Why are you naked? Puck said that you were supposed to be done!"

"I was drying myself off!" Charlie responds as she ties the towel around her waist and covers her chest. "Look can you just take Harper and Beth out of here for now?"

"But mom—"

"Harper I love you, I do and I've missed you a lot, but I'm in a towel and there are a bunch of crazy people in my locker room. So give me a minute to put on pants and get all the crazy people to leave and then we'll talk."

Harper huffed but nodded at the statement, it made sense and she allows her aunt Rachel to take her by the arm and guide her out of the locker room. It so wasn't fair, and she wanted to tell her mom about her week with Santana.

Once she was sure the door was closed, she turns on Puck. "You're supposed to be my coach! Why didn't you stop the crazy at the door?"

"Your mom's my business partner and your manager, I only let her inside and went to go fix your rehydration drink, when I came back they were already here," Puck said holding up Charlie's water bottle. He immediately pulled it out of her reach when she tried to swipe it. Cutting weight was brutal though it was a good thing that Charlie was fighting in her natural weight class. "Weigh in is in forty minutes, you're almost there. You can sip this after," Puck informed her bluntly.

"Charlie there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed off, your father and I changed your diapers and let me tell you between you and Quinn you always waited until we removed your diaper to pee. Then you'd giggle and put your fist in your mouth. I'd say it was adorable but we had to paint the walls a few times and I'm sure you nailed your father in the face a few times."

" _Mom_." Charlie managed to get out in a clipped tone.

"You've got nothing to be ashamed of. You take after your—"

"Mom, _please_ ," Quinn made a face coming to Charlie's rescue immediately but she truly didn't want her mom to finish that sentence.

"I'm just saying that with the right photographs and the right marketing team I'm sure you could break the internet just like that Kardashian woman did. I never did quite like the Kardashian's and you actually have a talent—"

"Judy," Russell groaned, his daughter was _not_ going to end up on the cover of some news magazine baring everything for the world to see. "Harper," he reminds her.

Judy nods, he was right. Charlie did have a daughter and she needed to be a good role model. "I'll make sure you're on the cover of whatever magazine fighters read." Judy waved her hand, Charlie hadn't done the late night tour, well it was supposed to be one show. She was the underdog, of underdogs. Once she won she would start getting all the calls. "But you need to win, and not because your father put a million dollars on you—"

"Though, that's a fantastic reason to win. I mean the _odds_ aren't in your favor at all, I'm going to make a mint once you win," Russell points out.

"I'm so glad that I can be your new racehorse to bet upon," Charlie grumbles.

"Hey Dusty Treasure, had a good life and is now on a farm somewhere where I am making a fortune having him mate with some thoroughbreds," Russell said dismissively. "You're a Fabray. We don't _lose_. We are ruthless in the pursuit of what we want and if you want this damn belt then you'll get it."

"Uh—thanks?" Charlie frowned and ran a hand through her hair, which she had gotten cut to help with the weight loss.

"We'll be right there in the front row taking pictures," Quinn offered. "You've got this, don't worry."

"It's a weigh-in. I'm not actually going to get into a fight that's tomorrow," Charlie points out and shakes her head. "I need to make sure my weight is okay and I really don't want to step on the scale with all you watching. So can you go find your seats? I need to get into the right head-space. A lot of this fight is mental and I need that calm before the storm. "

"She's right, I need to weigh her and see if she needs another round in the sauna," Puck informed them when Charlie nudged his arm.

"I want Santana to do it. I can smell her, where is she?" Charlie insists.

"There is _no_ way I'm leaving you two in a room together without supervision," Puck reminds her. "You've got a fight and Santana's well she might as well be in _heat_ the way you two were going at it before I decided that you needed to be supervised. My mate isn't thrilled with the fact that I have had to babysit you. "

"Puck right now if my dick got hard I'd probably faint, I seriously just need to talk to her. Send Harper in after five minutes if you want us to be supervised." Charlie informs him narrowing her eyes.

"You get three minutes," Puck said after a minute, he'd definitely be keeping his ear pressed against the door. He turns to everyone, "Okay everyone out. I'm serious Charlie, no sex."

"Yes, I hear you. Don't be seduced by Santana and don't seduce her."

"Well, considering how 'charming' you are and how weak you are against Santana, it really is don't be seduced by Santana," Quinn manages to throw over her shoulder.

Charlie flipped her twin off immediately her towel dropping a bit, it causes her to flush and she immediately wraps it tighter around herself. "Seriously _get_ out." She waits until the door closes before sighing and taking a seat on the bench, her foot bouncing on the cold tiled floors and closes her eyes. Normally she'd be listening to music right now or doing something to deal with the nerves. This was different than fighting for Artie, millions of people would be watching her. They'd be analyzing her movements and her opponent was no joke this time.

"Still being a bit of a dick?" Santana asks causing Charlie to turn to her and she can't help but smirk. "You know Puck called me a succubus the other day, I have to admit that I was impressed that he knew what that was but you're going to need to put on some pants, or he's going to barge in here."

Charlie moves to stand allowing her towel to drop to the ground, she doesn't need to hide from her future mate and Santana had seen her naked plenty of times. "How was having Harper for a week? She didn't bite you did she?"

"She's _ten_ ," Santana sniffed indignantly, of course Charlie would ask about her kid first. She had practically kidnapped Harper. "You look like _shit_ by the way. How much weight have you lost?"

"Hopefully twenty-five pounds," Charlie mumbles taking a few steps to the scale that's in her room. "Max I can be is 135, and I walk around heavier than that. So please tell me I'm at 134."

Santana nods, and moves to the healthometer balance beam scale, she fiddles with it for a moment, Charlie doesn't look quite as sharp as she once did, in fact her eyes were sort of dull and she just looked tired. "Are you sure that you're going to be okay to fight tomorrow?"

"Moment I rehydrate and eat something light I'll be fine," Charlie promises. "Puck's done this before surprisingly. I'm in semi-decent hands.

"134," Santana said as she finished and watched as a pleased smile flashed across Charlie's face.

"Yes! No more sauna!" Charlie cheered and took a step down carefully and moved towards her gym bag, so she could put on some clothes. "Seriously though, how did you and Harper get along this week? There weren't any issues?"

Santana bit her lip, "No?"

Charlie turned to her immediately as she put on her underwear and shimmied into her shorts. This whole thing had been a test. "What happened?"

"Just remember, I did keep her fed and watered."

"You know she's not a plant, right?" Charlie smirks. She trusts Santana completely with Harper, but the prospect of finding something _finally_ that Santana isn't perfect at is all too appealing. She's already seen her daughter, so she knows that whatever happened didn't scar Harper for life.

"Of course I know she's not a plant," Santana snaps playfully.

"So what happened? You didn't set anything on fire, did you?"

"That seems like something you would do," Santana reminds her.

"It does seem like something I would do, but you're deflecting, so what happened?"

"So this waking up and making sure she gets to school on time and then remembering to pick her up is a thing that you do every day?"

"You forgot to pick her up?" Charlie raised a brow.

"Just on the first day! And maybe on the second and third day and I didn't know where to put her and I knew I couldn't just leave her by herself, so I brought her to work with me and she may have learned a few choice words from me while I was talking about the residents. I wasn't really much help with her homework either, it's a really good thing she's smart. But I mean maybe we had ice cream for dinner once or twice and maybe I let her watch an R-rated movie but in my defense it was animated and she picked it out! And she said that you let her watch stuff like that all the time, I mean in hindsight I probably should have called to ask you but I mean she's a good kid, I trusted her."

"You know if you were having a bit of trouble Santana, why didn't you just call Quinn? Or Rachel?"

"And admit that I had no idea what I was doing? To _Quinn_?" Santana scoffed like _that_ would ever happen. Charlie was lucky she was even admitting this to her but Harper was her kid. She couldn't even admit to her parents that child rearing was clearly not in her DNA.

"Well, for your first week that's not actually all that bad," Charlie mutters and Santana looks up at her in surprise. It was certainly better than her first week of school with Harper. The panic, all the paperwork, they had missed the bus forever, she had never forgotten to pick Harper up though. But that was only because she had simply waited around for Harper to come home. "I mean it's not like you misplaced her or anything right?"

"Well—" Santana began only to watch as Charlies face dropped. "Of course not, I bought her one of those fancy GPS watches so I could always find her." It had been Tina's idea and she had to admit that it had been brilliant.

Charlie blinks, "That's actually—why didn't I think of that?" If only those had existed when Harper was three and liked to wander. If she took her eyes off her for one moment, she'd be gone.

Santana didn't bother to remind Charlie that she was a penny-pincher, and the watch had been quality. She was definitely going to be hiding receipts from her when they mated and they figured out the living situation. Instead she places a hand on Charlie's stomach running her fingers along the well-defined muscles as Charlie slips on a sports bra. Her fingers dip down and she rests them against the waistband of Charlie's shorts. "So—" Santana began looking up at Charlie a smirk growing on her face. It was a moment between them, it had been a week since she had even heard from her mate. She blamed Puck, and now that she had Charlie alone, well it had certainly been a lot longer than three minutes. She taking this as tacit approval to—

"Mom!" Harper said as the door finally swings open causing Santana to immediately take a step back a guilty expression flitting across her face. It's enough to cause her to pause for a moment before she turns and opens the door. "Mom's got clothes on Uncle Puck," she informs him, "So does Santana."

"Good! Make sure it stays that way!" Puck calls through the door. He didn't trust Santana at all in this scenario.

Harper nods, glad that someone is giving her a super important job as she makes her way to her mom and raises her hands half expecting her mom to lift her up like she always does. Instead she gets a firm pat on the head by her mom as Santana snorts. She crinkles her nose, "You always lift me."

"I know. I always lift you when I don't feel this weak, I need to conserve all my energy for the fight. Once I win, I'll lift you all you want, now what's this I hear about you watching an R-rated movie with Santana?"

Harper grins, "And she let me eat ice-cream for dinner and breakfast. Plus I totally didn't go to school on Friday and I got to watch Santana cut into people! It was really, really fun mom. Plus she got me this fancy new watch!" Harper held her arm out for her mom to inspect the watch.

Charlie stared at her daughter, it did seem like she was relatively unscathed and more importantly there wasn't any lasting psychological damage. Though she'd have to look into the whole wanting to cut into people thing. "Good, you can tell me more about your week after the weigh in."

Harper nods and looks at Santana for a moment before tugging on her mom's arm and trying to pull her away, "I need to talk to you about something though it's super important."

Charlie raises a brow and looks at Santana who shrugs. "I'll wait outside then." There was a part of her that was curious to know what Harper had to say. At this point she thought that they were close enough that anything Harper had to say in front of Charlie she could say in front of her. She might have been wrong but she was going to let the mother-daughter duo have some privacy.

Harper tugs on her mother's arm and waits until Santana is gone so that Charlie can come down to her level, "Mom, you _need_ to make Santana your mate and she needs to move in with us so we can be a family. So you _have_ to win and you have to look like a strong alpha while you win. Santana doesn't like to watch you fight when you lose. So don't lose, she _really_ likes you." Harper smacked her mom's arm like she had seen Puck do a milion times after giving her a pep-talk.

Charlie stared at her daughter for what felt like a minute before a grin broke out across her face and she patted Harper on the head. "That was the plan, win, mate with Santana and figure out the details later."

"Excellent." Harper nodded again, pleased that they were on the same page. "Good talk."

Charlie rolled her eyes and gently shoved her daughter back. "I'm still your mom you know," she reminds her, looking up as there is a knock on the door.

"Charlie it's time, you need to start the media circus now and meet with the fans and do all the prep for the fight before the weigh in," Puck informed her. "You up for it?"

"Yeah. I am." Charlie responds immediately and looks at her daughter once more. "Puck and everyone is going to be busy, but even though you refuse to learn how to defend yourself, you have a good eye so tell her in detail what's going on, cause you know Santana she probably won't ask any questions."

"Right," Harper said and grinned.


	34. Chapter 34

"Mom's going to win don't worry."

Santana glances at Harper who now has a hand on her knee forcing her to stop her nervous habit of bouncing her leg. She hadn't even realized she had been doing it until she had felt Harper's hand on her leg. "I know," she admits after a moment, studying Harper. She doesn't know what to expect but Harper doesn't seem nervous at all. She wished she was that young again with complete blind-faith in her mother. But after watching a slew of fights and none of them ending in any major upset, she couldn't help but be nervous. It didn't help that the only time that she had gotten a chance to see Charlie was at breakfast. Puck had been dead set on keeping them separated and after she had finished half of the smoothie he and Judy had whisked Charlie away to do god knows what. Judy had joined them about an hour ago, with nothing more than polite smiles and assurances that Charlie was ready.

Harper studies Santana for a moment before turning to her grandfather who was sitting behind her and had tapped her shoulder. "The guy in the gold shorts is going to win grandpa."

Russell shook his head, his granddaughter had been on a bit of a role predicting winners with a scary degree of accuracy. What was even more disturbing is that she had managed to win quite a bit of money off him. "Of course he isn't, you see that he's on his back?" Russell shook his head. "Don't come crying to me when you finally lose, and I win back all my money."

"Russell, you shouldn't get her interested in gambling at such a young age," Judy shook her head, swatting his arm gently. "Besides at this rate you're going to be out close to a thousand dollars."

Russell huffed, "Well, whose fault is that?" He turned to Santana.

It was enough to finally force Santana to turn raising an eyebrow at Russell. Like hell he was going to blame this on her, when Charlie finally asked why her daughter had a wad of cash on her, which Charlie would, there would probably be hell to pay. "I gave her money for snacks, you're the one that has a gambling problem and decided to bet a ten year old." She turns to Harper. "It doesn't matter if he's your grandfather, make sure you collect your winnings from him and put it into a savings account. And after you finish fleecing your grandfather, never ever gamble again. Because you'll end up just like him."

Harper crinkles her nose at Santana. She was going to use the money to buy Christmas presents for everyone. "I don't have a bank account."

Santana noticed the glance that Judy and Russell shared and realized that may not exactly be a hundred percent correct. "Well keep the money and we'll go to the bank and set you up with an account."

Harper nods and turns back to the action in the cage, watching as golden trunks manages to get his hips up his legs wrapping around the neck of his opponent, It was instantaneous how the man on top tapped out immediately as he locked it in. She had seen her mom get caught in that attack before. "That's a thousand dollars," she said to her grandfather who scowled at her.

Quinn leaned over her daughter who was paying rapt attention to all the action and tapped Harper, "And you're _sure_ your mom is going to win? Like a hundred percent sure. I've heard people say she needs to fight the perfect fight."

"Mom's going to win," Harper repeats with a roll of her eyes. Her mom had never lost a fight in front of her, and even though Lauren was bigger and stronger her mom had fought strong fighters before. She certainly wouldn't lose in front of Santana.

"Yeah Quinn, Charlie's going to win," Santana repeats feeling a little more sure. Harper hadn't been wrong once and even after the huge shit storm that was the weigh-in with Lauren getting in Charlie's face. She just needed to have faith.

Harper grinned and settled into her seat, "Puck said when mom wins, we can go into the ring and I can celebrate with her and I can hold her belt." It was why she was wearing a sponsor's t-shirt and she got to carry her mom's hat and t-shirt for the end of the fight when she got interviewed. "She said she's going to do a backflip for you."

"Can your mom even do a backflip?" Santana asked crinkling her nose. "I mean it took me forever to get that right and I was a cheerleader."

"You were?" Harper and Quinn asked at the same time turning to Santana who shrugged.

"Yeah and I had to wear the damn uniform every single day—don't tell your mom that I was a cheerleader, she might make it weird." She shot a pointed look at Quinn as well who had a huge grin on her face. "Quinn if you say anything I will—"

"That's mom! Mom's on the screen!" Harper shouted gripping Santana's hand and pointing to the jumbo Tron. It was the tale of the tape with her mom standing with her measurements up on the screen. The promo for the next fight immediately started to play. "She looks so cool right Santana?"

"Sure? Let's go with that." Santana answered, it was clear that Charlie didn't like the attention and looked irritated as she spoke into the camera.

Judy frowned and tapped Rachel on the shoulder, "You're going to need to walk her through being warm and open on camera, she comes off as a bit of a grouch. Some acting lessons are in order."

"Charlie _is_ a bit of a grouch," Rachel pointed out and shrugged, "but I'm sure a few lessons with me and everything will end up fine."

Santana snorted. She was pretty sure that Charlie would only appear more irritated if she was trying to follow through whatever tips and tricks Rachel tried to drill into her mind. Judy and Rachel glared at her, but Quinn nodded as if she had been thinking the same thing.

But Harper seemed more fascinated with watching her Mom's pre-recorded thirty-second spot. She clapped louder than any of the surrounding fans when the bit finished, beaming proudly. "My mom's _famous_."

Beth frowned, glancing between Harper and the screen where Charlie's face had been just moments before. "My mom's famous, too." She noted with a flush of jealousy toward her older cousin, even though there were way more people here than she had ever seen at one of her mom's plays.

"Well after today, Charlie will be more famous." Russell notes, reading over the odds one more time. Charlie and Harper had better be right about this, because if so he was going to make a small fortune.

Rachel frowned. "Now, I am very proud of all that Charlie has accomplished, but—"

"You're right, Rachel. She's probably more famous than you already." Santana cut in with a needling smirk. She would never forgive herself if she passed up on an opportunity to get under Rachel's skin.

"I never—"

Quinn patted Rachel's knee sympathetically. There was no way to win this one. "Just let it go."

"Let it go?" Rachel hissed, aware that her daughter was now chattering away with her cousin, apparently accepting that Rachel's success was somehow _unimportant_. "I am a Broadway starlet! One of the greatest talents of our generation."

"I don't think it counts if you give the title to yourself." Santana mutters to Judy, just loud enough for Rachel to overhear.

Rachel opened her mouth to argue when the lights dimmed considerably and a spotlight flew to one of the entrances and music began to blare from the speakers filling the arena. "It's time for the walk!" Harper hissed at Rachel. "There's Puck," she pointed to him as he came out with a few other gym members. "There she is! There she is! She looks amazing! And really tough. Right Santana?"

Santana swallowed watching Charlie who approached the ring shaking out her body, bouncing up and down as she made her way to the cage. She seemed focused and alert and calm. Eerily calm. Good, that was a good thing, she needed Charlie to remain focused so she could win this thing in a few seconds and she wouldn't have a fucking heart attack when Charlie got hit. She didn't need an affirmation that she existed Charlie knew that she was—

"She's waving at us!" Harper yelled waving wildly at her mom who flashed them the thumbs up sign. "Mom always did something when she fought on tv to let me know that she was thinking about me. She never tells me what, she just does it and I know."

Santana nods while Harper continues to talk her ear off as Charlie took off the hoodie that she had been wearing and went to what appeared to be an official so he could check over her gloves and make sure that she wasn't greased up. Charlie looked _good_ and healthy and from the pacing she was doing in her corner of the ring she was ready and impatient to get this over with. "Fuck yeah, she's going to win."

Harper nods, "Fuck yeah," she repeats.

" _Harper_!" Judy admonishes immediately when Santana doesn't say anything. Of course Santana was going to be a terrible influence on her grandchild.

Harper paid her no mind instead her eyes were glued to where her mom was. They had gotten front row seats in the family section. Her mom was going to win, she just had to—so Santana would think that her mom was a really strong alpha and they could be a family.

~O~

" _The winner_ —"

Charlie winced as some blood dripped into her eye, knowing that it would only irritate it further. Santana had said that with all the scar tissue there, the area was prone to getting cut open. It hadn't taken long to get it reopened. Everything hurt, getting slammed against the ground was no joke and she was lucky that her head hadn't snapped back and hit the ground first or she would have been knocked out thirty seconds into the first round.

 _'By split decision scoring the fight, 48-47, 49-46 and 48-47_ —"

Charlie bounced on her feet a bit, Puck had sworn that she had done enough to win the fight, honestly after the third round things were hazy. She was so glad that her cardio had been on point, she hadn't expected it to —go a full five rounds, but it had been harder to put Lauren down than she had anticipated. None of her fights had gone five rounds before, in fact she wasn't even sure if she could feel her legs anymore. Puck had been happy though. She wasn't. She hated leaving it in the hands of the judges, kicks, punches, a few failed submission maneuvers, she had thrown everything and the kitchen sink at Lauren and _still_ , still she couldn't put her down. It was embarrassing.

' _And your_ _ **new**_ _Bantamweight Champion Charlie 'Light's Out' Fabray.'_

Charlie immediately felt her arm being risen as the crowd began to roar it's approval. She turned and extended her hand out to Lauren shaking it and giving her a quick side hug before Puck and the guys from the team mobbed her. She barely felt the belt being placed around her waist as the guys began to roughen her hair and hop around like lunatics.

" _Mom!_ "

Charlie turns and shoves Finn away for a moment to grab her daughter and pick her up, a smile on her face even as she noticed that there was still a bit of panic on Harper's, and probably a bit of disbelief. "I did it, just like I said I would."

"Never doubted you for a second," Harper lies through her teeth. In the third round she had begun to bite her nails nervously. Her mom hadn't looked this beat up in years and she wasn't sure if the judges were going to give it to her. She was sure that her mom had lost the first round of the fight but apparently only one judge was favoring Lauren.

"Want to carry my belt?" Charlie asks as she puts her daughter down realizing after a moment that she had gotten a bit of her blood on her daughter, but at this point she doesn't care as she pulls the damn belt off her waist and holds it out for her daughter who takes it.

"It's heavy!"

"It's gold, of course it's heavy," Charlie laughs and roughs up her daughter's hair. "Raise it high for the world to see. Puck put her on your shoulder or something."

"Whatever you say _Champ_ ," Puck laughs, so maybe he shouldn't have put down a few thousand dollars on Charlie but he had made some serious bank off her. The least he could do was carry Harper around the damn ring so she could show off the belt. She wants Santana to be in here with her, but as she turns to find her a microphone is stuck into her face.

"Biggest upset, _ever_. Like this is going to go down as one of the biggest upset in this promotion's history! And it's definitely in the running for fight of the year. You fought an amazing fight tonight how are you feeling Champ?"

Charlie would have smiled but her mouth hurt, now came the media frenzy when all she _really_ wanted was to find her mate and take her daughter back to the hotel and soak in a nice warm bath. "I'm still in shock, I don't think it's sunk in yet. Definitely hardest fight of my career—" Charlie says trying to be humble, noticing her mom waving at her and giving her the thumbs up. It was going to be a long night.

~O~

Santana hung back a little, still trying to calm her rapidly beating heart and assure herself that Charlie was just fine. The hotel lobby had been decorated to the nines in an extravagant party, no doubt the reward Russell had planned for his new prized race-horse. It was amusing as hell to see Judy still trying to promote Charlie while Russell told everyone who would listen _exactly_ how much money Charlie had won him tonight.

Quinn stood over by the food table, discretely sipping as much expensive champagne as she could get away with before Rachel noticed who was too busy watching Beth and Harper sneak as many chocolates as they could.

"How'd you like the fight?" Warm breath tickled the side of her neck and she felt her arousal pool low in her core. It's enough to get her to twist around to look at Charlie, after the post-fight conference she had been whisked away again to see a doctor, judging from the stitches.

There's an eager look on Charlie's face and it almost makes Santana soften for a moment, _almost_. Instead she swats Charlie's arm firmly, not hard enough to hurt. "Don't you _ever_ do that again," she hisses keeping her voice down. "I think I suffered through several myocardial infarctions throughout the entire fight. I thought you said this was going to easy!" Charlie _had_ dominated the fight for most of the contest but it wasn't as if Lauren had just been lying around, which was why Charlie was bruised and battered and looked like she had just been in a brawl.

"Myo—what?" Charlie asks confusion crossing her face.

"Heart attacks," Santana informs her. The worst news about this whole thing was that Charlie had a rematch in about eight months. "Do you know how many heart attacks you gave me? I can still feel my heart beating in my damn chest."

Charlie smiles and wraps her arms around Santana's waist leaning in to kiss her gently. "Won't happen like that again I promise," Puck had given her a reaming in the car to the hospital to get checked over. Now that she was the champion they could start hiring the best trainers and coaches—real world class talent to start working at the gym.

It wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear from Charlie, mostly she wanted Charlie to agree. She had won the championship what else was there to prove? Though she had to admit Harper had babbled on about how if her mom won eleven fights she'd go down in history for being the most dominant champion _ever_. So instead she reaches up and gently runs her fingers near Charlie's stitches. "What did the doctor say?"

Charlie flashes a smile, she was battered and bruised but there was no broken bones as far as he could tell. "He made it clear that I can still have sex tonight," Charlie murmured quietly running her hand along Santana's arm.

"And?"

"You know the only doctor I listen to is you," Charlie reminds her causing Santana to roll her eyes. She grumbles and slips her hand into her pocket and hands the note to Santana. "I got him to write it down for you."

Santana snatched the paper from Charlie and quickly read over his basic report and relaxed, she seemed fine and she couldn't help but smile when Charlie pointed to the part where it said that she was cleared to have sex. "You don't want to enjoy your party?"

"I don't like big parties, I prefer something intimate and I think Harper will give me the stink-eye if I don't whisk you away." Charlie is quiet for a moment and then nudges Santana, "She takes after you that way."

"Well, since we can't disappoint Harper now can we?" Santana smirked grabbing Charlie's wrist and pulling her away before anyone noticed that she had arrived. Harper still had Charlie's championship belt on her shoulder, it seemed that she was far more excited about the thing then Charlie was.

"No." Charlie agrees, leading Santana away from prying eyes. She had tried not to think of it during the fight, but knowing her mate was watching the display had been motivating as hell. These last few weeks had been torture, especially when Puck had decided that she _needed_ to remain celibate. So all she could do was think, and play with the fancy phone her mom had shoved in her hands. And look up how to mate with Santana without her experiencing the worst night of her life. She immediately reaches into her pocket and fishes out her room key. "Since Puck isn't going to be cock-blocking me anymore, you should probably have a card to my room."

"What about Harper?" Santana pressed.

"Harper sometimes forgets to knock, or worse she occasionally crawls into bed with me so we can watch cartoons in my room. I plan to be naked for a long period of time and I also plan on doing things to you that would scar my daughter for life if she walked in on us, so you get the key." Charlie explains as she presses the button for the elevator door. "Besides, as my daughter pointed out bluntly yesterday. I shouldn't screw this up." Charlie gestured between the two of them.

'Thank god that your daughter has some sense." Santana muttered under her breath. "You need to listen to her more."

Charlie rolled her eyes and pulled Santana into the elevator hitting the floor button, while her parents had insisted on taking the penthouse suite, the honeymoon suite had been reserved for Charlie. She couldn't help but take note of the subtle nudge, and if she had her way she would never spend another day as an un-mated alpha. "I'm sorry," Charlie finally says after a moment. "For abandoning you, I was embarrassed. I got angry cause I was embarrassed, and then I felt _less_ than. Less than an alpha, I felt like how I did after— _you know_."

Santana frowned, it was an odd time to be apologizing, and truthfully she had already made up her mind that Charlie was going to be her mate. She wouldn't have flown to Las Vegas with the Fabray clan if that wasn't the case, it certainly beat flying commercial. "Is that why you do this? To prove to yourself that you're strong? I mean honestly at this point, I'd rather watch you run away then get hurt. I don't know if the next punch or the next kick to the face is going to kill you and it fucking terrifies the shit out of me."

"I needed the money. Diapers and formula is fucking expensive, and I needed the money and it was a thousand dollars, a fight. Much better than I'd be making at some fast food place. I knew it was a legal grey area but I needed the money. I was good at it and it made me feel _good_ , like I wasn't some weak broken alpha anymore. It's how this whole thing started, now I just do it cause it's the only thing I'm good at."

"That's not true." Santana insists right away, not missing a beat. "You're a good mom, and you've got at least some sort of sense for business and strategy. I—" She stops short, aware that she's heading into uncertain territory. "I just don't want to lose you."

"You won't." She promises. She might have to make some changes, and it doesn't mean she's going to give up fighting entirely, but she wants to be around for a long time to come. Santana seems to want to disagree, but Charlie seems to sense her hesitation and pounces on the pause before a serious conversation can kill the mood entirely. "Admit it, it's hot to see me take down another alpha."

Santana chuckles, pinching Charlie's side lightly, "You know, I watched your fights, even when we weren't together."

Charlie smiles like the cat that ate the canary. "I'm sure Dani liked that." She notes.

"I'm _sure_ I don't want to talk about Dani. Not tonight, and maybe not ever." Santana retorts, sliding her hand down to cup Charlie's ass. "Unless, you think—"

"No." Charlie feels her dick strain against her pants, her mouth salivating at Santana's scent so close after waiting so long. She pulls Santana towards her and kisses her deeply as the elevator door slides open. Using the last of her adrenalin she lifts Santana up completely feeling her wrap her legs around her waist. She doesn't mind carrying Santana to her room which was close enough to the elevator and opening the door to her room.

Santana pressed a kiss against Charlie's lips laughing as she squirmed out of Charlie's arms making sure her feet were on the ground before she pulled away. "Okay, okay let me freshen up and put in an order for room service to be delivered a bit later, cause I know you."

Charlie flopped back on the bed, grinning lecherously. "Good, I'm starving. Make sure you order enough because I have no intention of letting you leave this bed for at least the next twenty four hours."

Santana's stomach fluttered in anticipation. She grabs the menu that's on the table, planning to make sure that she orders something similar to Charlie's favorite and heads to the bathroom to check it over and fix her hair, and maybe strip down to something a tad sexier, as she unbuttons her shirt and looks at herself before quickly mussing up her hair to look sexier. Despite how she felt about Charlie's chosen profession tonight Charlie had fought her heart out and deserved to be rewarded. It was a shame that she hadn't moved her things into Charlie's room yet. She glances at herself once more in the mirror before glancing at the menu, strawberries, whipped cream champagne she could order it now and hope that they showed up in a few hours. She moved back to the room to grab the phone to call the restaurant when she pauses to look at her mate and bites her lip trying not to laugh.

Her future mate had fallen asleep, probably the moment her head hit the bed, or at least sometime in the process of trying to strip out of her pants. She was already snoring softly and Santana couldn't help but shake her head. "No wonder you're exhausted," Santana mumbled. Charlie had fought the full five rounds, plus dropping weight and everything she'd suffered through to get to this point. "Just this once I'm not going to be offended that you passed out on me. I will however remind you of this for the rest of your life," she adds informing Charlie of her dastardly plan. She moves over carefully placing the menu down beside Charlie, breakfast in bed still sounded amazing and if they had already waited this long what was one more night? She slowly tugs off Charlie's pants and carefully puts the blanket on her, pausing when she rolls over and mumbles something in her sleep that sounds suspiciously like bacon. "See what happens when you have a comfortable mattress? Don't think I don't know that you gave the mattress I gave you to Harper." Charlie would learn to enjoy the comforts of life because there was no way that she was going to rough it like Charlie did. Sleeping on the couch was terrible for her back.

Santana pulled back and studied Charlie it would be so easy to simply crawl into bed with her, but she needed to move her things into Charlie's room and let Harper know where to find them. On the off chance that she needed them for anything and to make sure that Quinn and Rachel were watching her. She pocketed her new keycard and slipped out of the room. She'd be back, even if they weren't going to have sex, she'd be damned if she didn't start this damn thing right by being there when Charlie woke up.

* * *

 **AN: No new chapter next week. Again no new chapter next week, I've been sort of pushing myself as of late so, I'm taking a "Vacation"**


	35. Chapter 35

Charlie flexed her feet, the smell of fresh waffles tugging her from her nearly comatosed sleep. Her muscles ached, too tired and sore from yesterday's fight.

"Maybe, I should have gone with the blowjob," Santana mused mostly to herself. She had woken up to Charlie's morning hardon pressing against her, and Charlie mumbling and grinding her hips against her. Waking Charlie with breakfast in bed seemed like a good idea, but since she still wasn't moving maybe it wasn't enough.

"Always go with the blowjob." Charlie mumbles, still not opening her eyes.

"Well, maybe if you hadn't fallen asleep on me before we did anything, I'd be more inclined to put my mouth on your dick." Santana remarks dryly. She's not a huge fan of giving blowjobs and she'll probably be holding this over Charlie's head for a while.

Charlie's eyes shoot open in horror and she tries to sit up only to have a firm hand pushing her back down. "I fell asleep on you?" She finally asks horrified at the thought.

"Yes you did, I'm sure your daughter will have a few choice words for you, but I'm not mad and for today I'm giving you a pass. Let's not make this a habit though," Santana informed her before motioning at the food that she had ordered. "I got us breakfast so eat up, cause I was promised twenty-four hours of not leaving the bed. Quinn and Rachel are taking Harper and Beth around Las Vegas, so I mean we will have to meet them for dinner eventually but after that—well we're coming right back here and finishing what we started."

Charlie ignored the food, claiming Santana's lips with her own. "The food can wait." She murmured after a moment.

Santana smirked. "I never thought I'd hear you say that."

Charlie growls in response, draping her leg over Santana's hips to pin her against the bed. She _was_ starving, but she ached for Santana. She hadn't spent hours at the hospital getting checked out just for fun. She could almost kick herself for falling asleep last night, but at least that meant that she would be prepared to give Santana exactly what she wanted. Her fingers moved of their own accord, snaking their way under Santana's shirt to run her fingers along Santana's taut stomach.

Santana pulls Charlie's shirt up and over her head in one fell swoop tossing it onto the ground. She winced, Charlie had bruises all along her body, and they looked like they hurt. "Are you sure you're—"

Charlie pressed her lips against Santana's kissing her deeply. Bruises she could deal with. Her muscles would ache but she was on a mission, mating with Santana. They needed to do this properly because she wasn't sure how easy it would be to take another full on rejection. Without hesitation she rips Santana's shirt open leaving the tattered clothing on her body as she leans in and presses a rough kiss on Santana's neck.

There's a small part of Santana that wants to whack Charlie upside the head for destroying her favorite shirt but she decides to let it go and tilt her head to the side to give Charlie better access to her neck, as she reaches down to grip the waistband of Charlie's boxers, pulling on them and letting them snap back. She shifts her hands a bit further south and cups Charlie's hardon which is straining through the boxers and runs her fingers along it, feeling Charlie buck her hips once against her.

Charlie moans at the contact, trailing her fingers upward to firmly knead Santana's breast with her right hand while her left pulls off the lacey panties Santana has no business wearing any longer. Santana needs to be naked _now_.

Santana offers a shuddering groan when Charlie's fingers brush along her sensitive bundle of nerves. She wants Charlie so badly she can almost taste it. Her left hand grips Charlie's shaft more firmly almost on instinct at hearing the throaty growl from Charlie and she can't help but smirk and run her fingers over the tip, feeling Charlie shudder on top of her. She's wet and leaking and she's been ready since last night, psyching herself up for what was going to be a sex filled day. She wasn't even in heat but her body felt primed and ready to accept Charlie. Mentally she was ready, at least she hoped but she wouldn't panic. It wasn't happening to her, it had happened to Charlie. It didn't help the nerves that she felt, but the fact that Charlie's lips were wrapped around one of her nipples helped take her mind off it.

Charlie drags her fingers along Santana's wetness again, they had all day to play with each other's bodies and explore one another, but right now she just wanted to mate with Santana. She reaches down and taps Santana's hand, immediately missing how she had been holding her but she immediately guides her dick to Santana's pussy dragging the tip against the wetness. She pulls her mouth off Santana's breast so she could meet her eyes as she pushes her hips forward. She groans as she enters Santana, being inside Santana was her favorite place to be.

Immediately Santana dug her nails into Charlie's back, clutching onto her as Charlie finished entering her, joining them together. It was _different_ , there love-making had always in some sense been a bit antagonistic, a bit rough, and it usually ended up hurting in the good way. Charlie certainly knew how to use every gift she had been given, if anything she had mastered them and knew exactly how to bring her the greatest amount of pleasure at any time. This time it was different, even from their last attempt at mating.

It was probably the primal feeling, Charlie generally preferred to take her while she was on her hands and knees at least at first, but now she was meeting her gaze and holding it even as she peppered her body with light kisses. It was different, and perhaps it was Charlie showing that she could be different that she could change and there had never been a moment where she wanted Charlie to mate with her more. Even as her hips picked up speed, and she felt her first orgasm building. "I'm ready," she insists meeting Charlie's gaze and holding it.

Charlie for one second meets her gaze before shifting her body a bit and pulling Santana up causing her to groan as the angle changes and she's filled up completely, but she needed to make sure that Santana could start the mating process first. She had read that it would take the edge of her memories flooding Santana. She'd still feel it and experience it but it would be different, and some argued that their bond would be stronger. She tilted her head exposing her shoulder for Santana, "You go first."

Santana's eyes snap open for a moment, there was a reason that people never completely bonded anymore, and it was more on the end of alpha. If anything were to happen to her Charlie would never be able to mate with anyone else again. They couldn't even sleep with other people, the reason that the culture _had_ changed was because the loss of the mate was so profound in alphas—most committed suicide after their mate died or wasted away. It was why Dani had been able to move on and date Santana. Sure Dani was never going to love anyone like she had loved her mate, but she was able to move on. "I—"

"You're my mate, there isn't going to be anyone other than you," Charlie informs her seeing her hesitation. The worst thing that had ever happened to her was getting raped, and right up there was walking away from Santana the first time. She was tired of making mistakes, tired of being alone and there was a good chance that Santana outlived her anyway. "I want to be yours as much as you're mine, so _please_."

She might possibly be dooming Charlie to an eternity alone if anything happened to her but she can't help but nod. Charlie was hers, and with all the omegas that were going to be drooling over her she was going to make damn sure that every omega, beta and alpha knew that Charlie was off-limits. It's enough for Charlie to start moving her hips again and the orgasm once again builds and as the first one rolls over her she leans in and bites Charlie's shoulder hard opening herself up to the bond. It feels odd, not like before. The euphoria felt _different_. Like how she felt when Charlie wrapped her arms around her and just held her. It was warm and light and she really did smell good even when she was a sweaty mess. It just felt _right_ like this out of everything in the world was the right thing to do.

A sharp pain in her own shoulder causes her to open her eyes and she realizes that Charlie's orgasm has hit and she's now leaving her mark. She's now actively participating in the bond. Immediately she expects to feel the darkness that clung around Charlie, she expected to feel his hands on her body again, but she doesn't _feel_ it, not this time. Instead it hits her like small flashes. She assumes that Charlie is getting the same small flashes of her life. That she can feel all her emotions tied to those memories, many of them are happy and for a moment she sees a moment when Charlie was happy.

But the moment is gone all too soon. Maybe it's that she's been waiting for it, or maybe it's that it simply _has_ to come sometime, but she can see it flashes of what had happened to her, carving into her soul and stealing what Charlie could have been. She sees the pain it causes, the humiliation, the inadequacy, the anger and the crying out for someone to help, mixed with Charlie's pride. It's a confusing set of emotions that plague Charlie. The hurt and feelings of abandonment when Charlie's attempt to mate fall flat.

For a moment Santana thinks it's over, that she understands it when she sees just a flash of Harper being handed to Charlie and the bewilderment and the anger that she feels. She's not a hundred percent sure exactly who it's aimed at Mack or Harper. The panic as Harper won't stop crying. Flashes of the first time that Charlie doesn't seem as damaged as Harper sleeps on chest. It's the first time that she could feel the warmness and life come back to Charlie's heart.

And finally the last thing she sees before she lets go of Charlie's shoulder is Charlie looking at her studying her from afar at Chuck-E-Cheese. Uncertainty as she unconsciously pats her hair down and tries to straighten out her rumpled shirt.

Santana stared at Charlie who finally let go of her shoulder and pressed a kiss against the mark on her shoulder.

Hazel eyes focus on Santana for a moment and Charlie winced she hadn't noticed that Santana had tears in her eyes, she wasn't sure that was supposed to happen. She reaches and touches Santana's face gently brushing the tears away. "I don't like talking about it, I don't think I can," Charlie admits after a moment. "So I'm—"

"Don't apologize," Santana insists immediately interrupting Charlie. "You showed me, and I know how much it causes you pain to show anyone—" Santana pauses thinking about what she just said. She could just tell how Charlie felt without the need for words. More importantly the warmth that she associated with Charlie felt like it was enveloping her even though Charlie was only touching her face. They were mated, and words that she thought needed to be said, well she could see understanding in Charlie's eyes. So instead she just leans forward and kisses her, not caring that Charlie's still buried inside of her or that they're in a hotel room with food that's already gone cold. They could order more food later because right now it's just the two of them. Resting her head against Charlie's she begins to move slowly her hips as she straddles Charlie's hips better.

Charlie's breath catches as she quickly stiffens up, she had always thought that Santana had a happy life. Filled with excitement and she had been happy, but Quinn had been her first real friend. She had been awkward as a teenager, and had kept people away, terrifying others with her prickly nature. She hadn't fit in with the other omegas. The worry that there was no alpha in the world for her, that didn't irritate her or smell absolutely revolting to her. The small crush on Quinn that lasted five seconds until Quinn opened her mouth. Falling in love for the first time only to choose to wait for her alpha, she hadn't given up hope. Being irritated that someone like Rachel could find her mate before her. "I made you wait," Charlie mumbles under her breath.

There's a small part of her that wants to simply blame Charlie, but she can't. Charlie hadn't even known she had existed, and given her trauma it had taken a lot for her to even walk up to her. If she was going to blame anyone it would have been Quinn. She had known about Charlie, and she had seen pictures of her niece on her phone but she had always assumed Charlie was mated. "Let's just blame Quinn."

Charlie laughs and kisses her, "That works for me."

~O~

Harper sat at the restaurant in the hotel beside her cousin bored out of her mind. She had her mother's championship belt on her lap and she wanted to give it back, but more importantly she wanted to know if her mom had _done_ it. They were already about ten minutes late and the waitress had already come to take their appetizer order. "Where are they?" She asked turning to her aunt biting her lip. Santana had _promised_ that they weren't going to forget about her or get rid of her when they got mated.

"Santana is _never_ on time _ever_ ," Quinn responds looking at Harper. "Don't worry, they'll be here. I already put two wake-up calls to their room so they will show up and Rachel texted them. They'll be here."

Harper nods and settles back down and runs her fingers across her mom's championship belt. She hadn't even let her grandpa touch it, or anyone else. Her mom had given it to her for safekeeping and she had done a pretty good job of it so far. She had seen her mom all over tv today and she'd been on the front page of the news, her grandma had been busy all day fielding calls for interviews and trying to get her mom in movies and stuff. All she knew was that her mom was going to be super busy and wouldn't have time for her. It had already happened before and she was tired of sharing a room with Beth or going to stay with her grandparents. She _liked_ her room and she just wanted to go home.

She's nervous, but she tries not to show it. "Do you think it didn't go well?" She asks casually. If it didn't, she wonders what her mom is going to do. Maybe Santana will still give her mom another chance.

Quinn hesitates and then breaks out in a wide smile. "I don't know, what do you think?" She nods her head, gesturing for Harper to look behind herself.

Harper whips around, surprised. She normally can pick her mom's scent out of a room, it's different a little sweeter than most other alphas and she's never really thought about why. But seeing her tug playfully on Santana's shirt, never letting go of Santana's hand is assurance that everything is going to be okay. "Mom! You're late."

Any fears Harper held seemed to evaporate in a breath of fresh air at her mom's grin. Charlie smiled wide and tugged Santana along with her. "Hey kid, sorry. Did you order us enough bacon?" Charlie blinks, "Oh there's my belt," Charlie holds her arm out and smiles when her daughter gets up and drapes it over her arm.

"Do you think I should have polished it?" Harper worries a little, biting her lip. The belt was super important and her mom trusted her with it. It was probably worth more money than even her grandpa had.

Charlie shrugs. "Nah. I mean, I hope you kept your aunt Quinn's greedy paws off it, but I get it if you let her touch it. She can be pretty sneaky."

Santana snorted at this and finally reached out to touch the gold belt, "Well, I suppose if you're going to fight it's best if you have a gigantic belt that lets everyone know you're the best. So we're clear you're not wearing that around the house."

Charlie pouts. "You sure? I think I've—"

"We've already ordered food," Quinn interrupts. "You two can act like teenagers in your own time. Congrats on the mating though," she throws in.

"So do you get to keep it?" Harper asked her mom seriously.

"Yeah I get to keep this one, and put it up in my mantle. There are two copies, the second one will be given to me to walk around with." Charlie explains to her daughter. "So we're going to have to decide where to put this. Maybe I should attempt to make a trophy case."

"No need to make one, I'll have one built for you with my winnings. You know how much money you made me?" Russell asked practically giddy with joy. He was promptly elbowed by his wife, "Think of it is as a bonding gift. I mean now that you've finally managed to mate you get full unfettered access to your trust fund, but allow me to do this for you."

"Can I see?" Harper asked looking at Santana and glancing at her mom suspiciously. "I need to make sure she did it."

"Hey! I thought you had absolute faith in me!" Charlie grumbles letting go of Santana's hand to ruffle Harper's hair.

"That was _before_ you fell asleep on Santana," Harper snips at her mom and shakes her head. "How could you fall asleep on Santana? She's _awesome_."

"I have been saying that to everyone I met for _years_." Santana teases, turning to her new mate with a faux glare that she can barely even attempt to maintain. "She's right, you know."

"I thought you said you weren't going to hang this over my head?"

"Yeah, well I lied."

Charlie scratches at her collar absentmindedly, her fingers delighting in the newly raised flesh. It's almost like she needs a constant reminder that this isn't going to go away. Santana is _hers_ and she is _Santana's_ and everything else just _is._ "I guess I can deal with that."

"What's that?" Beth asked curiously finally paying attention to her surroundings. Her aunt was now more famous than her mom. Her mom didn't get into all the papers and she was never really on every tv screen either.

Charlie pulls her shirt a bit, revealing her mark. She hadn't really planned on telling everyone just how complete her bond with Santana was over breakfast, but she wasn't about to hide it either. "We're bonded." She shrugs with as little explanation as she feels they deserve. She'll talk to Harper about it later.

"You're not just bonded, _you_ accepted Santana's mark?" Rachel clarifies in surprise.

"What's wrong with that?" Santana bristles defensively. Charlie reflexively puts her hand protectively on Santana's knee, feeling her mate's annoyance rise.

"Nothing—I just—" She shakes her head. Some people would see Charlie and Santana's bond as more legitimate than the one she shared with Quinn and they had been married for _years_. "It's just so traditional. I never thought that was something you two wanted." She explains delicately.

"It's so romantic." Harper practically swoons as only a pre-teen can. She's only heard of alphas accepting the bond of their omega in movies and tv. She's not even sure that her _grandpa_ has a mark like Charlie's and he is _old_.

Charlie grins, pleased that her daughter thinks of her in such a positive light. "That's me super romantic!"

Santana rolls her eyes and gently pinches Charlie's side, she wasn't buying that for a second. Charlie turns to grin at her and she relaxes for a moment. She takes Charlie's hand and looks at Harper reaching over, "More importantly, we're going to be a family."

"You're _pregnant?_ " Beth asks her eyes widening.

" _Beth_ ," Judy admonishes before looking at her daughter. More grandkids was something that she wanted but Rachel and Quinn were of the opinion that Beth was more than enough for them. Alpha children were always a bit of a handful. She would know she had given birth to two twin alphas.

"No! God no, I'm saying that now that Charlie and I are mated, we'll fill out all the paperwork and when we can figure out— _logistics_." It was something that they hadn't talked about yet.

"I suppose I should also officially meet your parents," Charlie muses after a moment. She's not looking forward to _that_ meeting. But Maribel was going to have to deal with it because Santana was hers now.

"You mated with her before meeting her parents?" Russell asks, furrowing his brow. If anyone had tried to do that with _his_ daughter's, there would be hell to pay. He could only imagine the fury that Maribel Lopez would feel in light of such a betrayal. "Charlie—"

"Officially." Santana cuts in. She _had_ met them. Maybe it wasn't under the best circumstances and _maybe_ her mother still harbored terrible feelings toward Charlie. But there was still hope?

"Does that mean I get new grandparents?" Harper asked as the food was delivered. "Do I get to meet them too?"

Charlie glanced at Santana and frowned, she wasn't actually sure what their stance was on that. She wasn't thrilled with Maribel's beliefs about her daughter, but before she can say anything her mother had already jumped in.

"We'll be your favorite's right?" Judy insists immediately. They had to _share_ Beth with Rachel's parents, much to her general chagrin and Leroy and Hiram were in open competition with them over Beth's affections. Harper had been a different case, they had been the only grandparents that she had ever known. Charlie had made no attempt to get in contact with Mac's parents. She had a feeling that Russell kept tabs on them just to keep anyone from coming after Harper.

"Don't answer that, Harper. It's better to make them work for it." Beth advises wisely.

Charlie scratches her head. "Mom, Dad—no." She tries to cut them off whatever ridiculous train of thought was currently running through their minds. The last thing she needs is to have them trying to buy Harper's affections.

"Like Maribel stands a chance," Russell scoffs. "We've got ten years on them, don't worry Judy we have this in the bag."

Santana raises a brow, "You know Harper, my dad's a doctor too. He does emergency medicine, which is pretty cool."

"Really?" Harper asked her eyes going wide.

Charlie groaned but allowed Santana to feed what she was sure was going to be a very intense competition between Lopezes and Fabrays. It would have irked her, only days before to be on the receiving end of her parent's wealth, but she can feel how desperately Santana wants her family to accept them and she vows that she will do everything in her power to win over Maribel Lopez. For Harper, and for her mate.


	36. Chapter 36

Santana swatted Charlie off her, "You look ridiculous by the way," she mumbles turning to fix Charlie's collar. Of all the days to start her latest heat period, it just _had_ to be the day that they finally got back to New York. Her vacation was over, and reality was setting in. Charlie _needed_ to reach some sort of peace with her mother and they needed to figure out the logistics, she needed to move into Charlie's apartment but before she could even do anything like that, the apartment needed a complete overhaul. Charlie wouldn't know decoration if it hit her in the face. She gently runs her hand along some of the bruises on Charlie's face gently. "It's going to be okay."

"Are you saying that for your benefit or mine?" Charlie teases, it was hard to concentrate with Santana right there in front of her. She smelled so good and it was hard to not cancel this meeting and convince Santana to come home with her so she could—

"Stop," Santana insists. She could feel the lust radiating off Charlie and it had nothing to do with the firm bulge that was in Charlie's pants. Rachel had mentioned that it would become easier, when the bond was new it felt like there was a presence in your head. She couldn't read Charlie's mind but she got strong feelings off her and she generally had an idea when her mate was thinking of sexual things. Which seemed to be all the time these days. "Look I get it, I'm in heat, but we _can't_. With everything that's been going on lately I haven't been as on the ball as I should have with my birth control. I forgot," she admits, her usual reminder had been lost when she had begun to take care of Harper for the week and starting it now wouldn't actually prevent any pregnancies.

"Right," Charlie mumbles. That meant that she would have to wear condoms if she wanted to be inside Santana at all. The sacrifices that she had to make— "Ow!" Charlie grumbles when Santana whacks her arm again. "What?"

"I don't know, I just sort of felt like you sort of deserved it," Santana shrugs.

Charlie grins. "I did," she admits openly and leans in to press her lips against Santana's. "And Harper? She really wants to meet your parents."

"My dad's going to love her regardless, it's my mom—she has some pretty conservative views. I mean she is the district attorney after all. Look, in the end Harper is your daughter, if you decide that it's not worth the headache, I'll support you."

There was a part of her that wanted to take both Santana and Harper and run for the hills. But she's an alpha, and it was just a dinner with Santana's folks. She liked food, and at least she was getting a decent meal out of the deal. "She's _our_ daughter, we handed the documents in this morning. Who knew there would be so much damn paperwork?"

"You think signing your credit card receipt is too much paperwork." Santana scoffs.

"Yeah but all the school paperwork, and you know doing the whole health plan, and all the other forms we'll have to fill out to change her last name to Fabray-Lopez. It's alphabetical by the way—there's a _lot_ of paperwork."

"Fabray- _Lopez_?" Santana stepped back with a start. She had kind of expected to change her own name, maybe just personally while she stayed a Lopez in her professional life. But having Harper take her name?

"You like it? It was Harper's idea, I like it. Harper Fabray-Lopez. Charlie Fabray-Lopez, also has an awesome ring to it as well. I mean in my professional life I'll still have to be Charlie Fabray. I don't think that Charlie 'Light's Out' Fabray-Lopez will fit when they put my name up on tv. But I think it fits us. I'm yours, you're mine. We should share the last names. We also need to start talking about finances and stuff like that, you know the boring adult stuff. We still have time though."

Santana's still in shock as Charlie pushes the doorbell and shifts the expensive bottle of wine that she pinched off her parents under her arm. "You're serious?"

Charlie shrugs. "Yeah, you think your parents will like this wine? It was the most expensive bottle they had."

The door opens before Santana can even formulate a response, her father's big calming presence radiating through the door. "Mija, Charlie. We're so glad you're here."

Charlie slapped on a smile and offered the bottle, "I brought over a bottle of wine. Best in my dad's wine cellar."

"So needlessly expensive and rare?" Maribel asks from behind Carlos staring at Charlie a frown threatening to form. They had mated, it was obvious she could _smell_ it all over her daughter, who was also in heat.

"Exactly." Charlie smiles easily, ignoring Maribel's tone. She was going to make this work if it killed her. Mating with Santana had been the best experience of her life, and she started to understand why Maribel was so furious with her.

Carlos shook his head, "We watched your fight it was very— _impressive_ to say the least. I thought she had you in the first round after that particularly nasty slam," Carlos took a step back and ushered his daughter and her new mate inside.

"I thought she had me too," Charlie admits. "But I managed to regroup and implement my game plan, which is why I ended up with the win. I don't think I could have done it without Santana,"

"So you mated with her that night?" Maribel was promptly elbowed in the ribs by Carlos and was met with a sour look from Santana. It was simply common courtesy to talk with the parents of the omega before you mated with them. Have dinner with them. _Something_.

Santana was about to come to Charlie's aid, because it was hardly fair. Charlie had met her mother a few times, and it had never gone well. It wasn't as if her mother wasn't aware that this was happening, with or without her permission when Charlie just lets out a laugh and scratches her cheek. "Actually no—that was the plan but I fell asleep."

Santana groaned as her father snorted in disbelief. "You didn't have to be that honest with them Charlie," she mutters to her mate. Her parents will never let her live this down.

Maribel arches her eyebrow, unable to hide her amusement. "And you mated with her anyway?"

Santana cocks her head to the side, somewhat surprised that her mother's comment lacks the bite she had expected. She pulls Charlie's collar down to show her mate's own mark to her parents. "Damn straight I did."

Maribel's eyes widened and she ignored Carlos's excited cry to step forward and examine the mark more closely. "You completed the bond?" It's more than she ever could have hoped for her daughter's mate, maybe she had judged Charlie too harshly. She's still not ready to give her seal of approval, but she can feel her heart softening toward the blonde.

"Now that she's famous I had to do something to keep the other omegas off her," Santana informs her parents glancing at Charlie. There was a ring of truth to the statement but it doesn't stop Charlie from rolling her eyes. "So we mated, and we've already started the paperwork so I can legally adopt Harper who is changing her name to Fabray-Lopez?" She glances at Charlie who nods and smiles.

"I get a granddaughter too?" Carlos almost squeals. "This is like Christmas."

"She—uh is really looking forward to meeting the _both_ of you, especially you Dr. Lopez. She wants to be a doctor just like Santana. She's already watched Santana do a few surgeries," Charlie explains glancing at Maribel.

Carlos could barely contain his grin on his face as he turned to Maribel, "I _win_."

"She just doesn't _know_." Maribel counters automatically, her competitive spirit flaring. She's not going to lose, especially to Carlos. "No. This is unacceptable. You already stole our daughter, you don't get to corrupt _another_ child with the blood and guts and hospital garbage."

Charlie scratches her cheek, "Are they arguing over our daughter?"

"Yes we are." Maribel answers quickly. It's not the way that she would prefer her daughter to have a family and she doesn't really get it. But she's going to pretend she does until her feelings catch up with her resolve. "And I can't believe you want your daughter playing with blood and guts, you want her to be civilized, right Charlie?"

Charlie scratches the back of her head. As the only person in this room who didn't even graduate high school, she feels woefully inadequate. "Uh—"

"Because arguing all day is _civilized_ ," Carlos said with an indignant sniff. "Your daughter will be saving lives Charlie, people will be thanking her every day. Who knows what she could be? A neurosurgeon, or she could even go into my field of emergency medicine."

"Or she can be an orthopedic surgeon," Santana counters with a roll of her eyes. "She seemed really interested in doing what I do, you should have seen the questions that she was asking me. She's incredibly bright you know. Straight A student, and she goes to the best school in the city. Top of her class," Santana bragged. "I can already see her doing great things."

Charlie watched her mate interact with her family, Harper had very little interest of becoming a fighter like her. Which was a good thing, it wasn't something that she wanted for her daughter to begin with, but she had all these options in life. She would need to remind Harper that she just needed to do what made her happy. She didn't have to be a doctor or a lawyer or something fancy. She could be a teacher or a social worker or a vet. She was _ten_. She had plenty of time to figure it out.


	37. Chapter 37

Charlie sneaks one of the chocolate covered strawberries from the container. It's taken longer than she thought it would to get Santana's old apartment all cleaned out and all of her things moved over to their place, but it has been worth it. The only thing that's left in the apartment is the bed Santana sold on Craigslist that an unsuspecting beta couple is going to pick up tomorrow. She's been carting boxes back and forth between the two apartments and now she's earned a reward.

Now, they had a whole day because Harper had a sleepover and Charlie intends to make the most of it. She's not a complete ass, she set up with those weird rose petal things that Santana likes and lit a few candles. But Santana's surgery must have run long and so she's lying here, stark naked eating strawberries and other chocolates while she waits for her mate.

She's got another strawberry that she's just about to pluck in her mouth when the door to Santana's apartment swings open and her mate breezes in. "Shit, I'm so sorry, I had the crappiest day at work and everybody was avoiding me for some stupid idiotic reason and—" Santana stops, taking in the sight, "You finished."

But Charlie caught something else entirely. She slowly gulped down the treat, blinking at her mate in shock.

Santana smirks at Charlie's reaction. She scrubbed out of surgery but she still feels gross, but it's a little nice that she can still get that look from Charlie. She had expected to spend the rest of the night packing up boxes and moving trinkets and crap to their home together, but now she has enough time to give Charlie a proper reward for her hard work. "I get it, I'm the sexiest person alive, but—"

"You're pregnant." Charlie says the first thing that comes to mind, her mind blanking on anything else she can say that could possibly be helpful.

"No I'm not." Santana took a step back, immediately defensive. Sure, she had been a little bit lax about her birth control, but she wasn't an idiot. She hadn't been sick. She'd made Charlie wrap it every _single_ time. Even for anal. There was simply no way she was pregnant. "It's only been a few _days_ since I was in heat. I can't be."

Charlie blinked, still processing it herself. There was no mistaking the scent wafting from Santana, something altogether different from her normal smell. It was indescribable, but it was there like a mixture of her scent and Santana's but just a little sweeter than the way Santana smelled just after sex. People always said that alphas could tell the instant that they got their mate pregnant, but she and Santana had been on such wildly different schedules, this was possibly the first time they had been alone together for more than a second. What were they going to do? Should she buy Santana a pregnancy test? Most of those were for betas who needed some sort of confirmation, but—was she ready to be a mother again? "You're pregnant." She repeats.

"Stop saying that!" Santana snaps, running her hand through her hair as she tries to come up with a really good reason why Charlie has to be wrong. "You've gotten hit in the head too many times, did it fuck with your olfactory sense? I didn't know it could do that—"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm fine." Charlie waves off Santana's concern, still trying to wrap her head around it. They were going to have a baby. A _baby_.

"You're not fine, you're smelling things. I didn't even know that was a thing and I'm a _surgeon_."

"We're having a baby. How the hell did that happen?" Charlie wonders to no one in particular.

"No we're _not!"_ She insists. She's been hot and itchy all day and her boobs ache like a motherfucker, but that's just because Charlie _loves_ her boobs. Her boobs are great. "There is no possible way that I am pregnant."

"Are you sure?" Charlie challenges. "Because I remember doing things to you that—well, I may not have had a lot of sex over the last few years, but I'm _pretty sure_ that's how people make babies." She notes sarcastically. Maybe it's the bond, or maybe it's just starting to hit her, but her anxiety is growing out of control.

"Fine, dickwad. It's _possible._ It's just—no. I'm not pregnant."

"We used a condom." Charlie agrees, despite the fact that their baby is currently cooking in Santana's oven—is that a saying? She wonders to herself, her eyes widening. She didn't do this whole pregnancy thing with Mack, she doesn't even know what she's supposed to call it. "We used a condom all the fucking time."

"I _know_." Santana frowns. She even watched Charlie put it on to make sure she did it right. She knows Charlie wouldn't lie to her, and she's got a sinking feeling that she refuses to acknowledge that Charlie is right. It's not that a baby would be unwanted—necessarily. She's just—well she loves her body. She doesn't want stretch marks or leaky boobs or any of the gross shit that comes with pregnancy. Sure, babies were cute or whatever, but she and Harper and Charlie were _happy_.

"I put my dick in a fucking _condom_ , how did you get pregnant? It was _awful_ , what the fuck are condoms for if I can still get you pregnant?" Charlie cries exasperatedly. There should be a _warning_ about this. What good was it to use a condom if it didn't _do_ anything? But then, musing softly to herself, she adds. "Dad did say that Fabray sperm was potent stuff."

Santana throws up her hands in frustration, "Oh, so _now_ you tell me."

"I didn't know I was going to get you pregnant." Charlie retorts, then gasps. " _Fuck_ , what are we going to tell Harper?"

"We're not going to tell her anything because I'm _not_ pregnant." Santana insists.

"Take a damn test if you don't believe me, or walk outside and ask the first alpha you see because you're _pregnant_ and that's my baby." Charlie takes a deep breath, she's still freaking out but it isn't going to help solve the problem if she yells at her mate. It's one of the downsides to both of them accepting the bond, the emotions that pass between them can grow exponentially if someone doesn't put a stop to it.

"The only sure test is a blood test." Santana says before she can stop herself. Then, she shakes her head. "And I'm not about to waltz into my own hospital for some intern to run a blood test and let the whole hospital know that you've lost it. One too many blows to the head—I told you that you should have quit fighting." She's grasping at straws, but there's _no way_ she can be pregnant already.

Charlie can see that Santana's reached the edge of her rope. She awkwardly puts her hand on Santana's stomach. "We're having a baby?"

Santana narrows her eyes at her mate and stumbles toward the door. "You ruined a perfectly good last romp in the bedroom. Now I'm not in the mood. I've got—work. I have to go to work." She doesn't offer a second glance before storming out of her old empty apartment.

Charlie storms after her and even makes it outside the front door and a few feet down the hall before she realizes she's still naked while the elevator doors shut behind Santana. Glancing down at herself, she's just a second to slow to stop the door from closing behind her, locking her out without keys, phone or clothes. She scratches her cheek, frowning. "Fuck."

~0~

Santana stomped the snow off her boots in the entryway of her new apartment complex with a huff. Heading back to the hospital had been a stupid idea, none of her co-workers had become _less_ assholey in the time she spent with Charlie. To make matters worse, everybody _avoided_ her like she was some pariah. Even Tina kept a ten foot distance—which was usually enough to warn Santana that she needed to turn the bitch down a notch. She _may_ have taken a blood sample and threatened a tech within an inch of his life to call her with the results as soon as possible, but that had been an _hour_ ago and she was pretty sure that he should have the results already.

Opening the door to the apartment she now shares with Charlie and Harper, she can immediately smell that Charlie's ordered takeout. Good. She's not really in the mood to cook tonight and if she remembered correctly Harper was having a sleepover at a friend's house. She notices Charlie fumbling around with something in the front room and winces when her mate looks at her with her arms over her chest. "I'm mad at you."

"Well I'm mad at _you_." Santana retorts. It's not her best comeback, but she's tired and cranky.

"You _left_ me naked in your hallway and I had to borrow your neighbor's phone to call _Quinn_ to come get me. I'm sure he was going to call the cops on me! How was I going to explain to Harper that her mom got arrested for indecent exposure?"

"My mom probably wouldn't have pressed charges, _probably_." Santana responds after a moment. "Besides you're the one that said that I was pregnant."

"You _are_ pregnant," Charlie retorts. She had been tempted to simply make Quinn stay and force her to take a whiff of Santana. "And we need to get on the same page before Harper gets home tomorrow and freaks out. We haven't even been mated for two months and I just finished moving you in, plus she's just getting used to the idea of being a Fabray-Lopez."

"Harper has nothing to worry about because I'm not pregnant," Santana insists grabbing a carton of rice and some chopsticks.

Charlie tilts her head for a moment and opens her mouth before closing it. Harper would probably be able to smell it, so if Santana wasn't going to deal with it she was going to need to find some way to keep her daughter from freaking out. She had no idea where she had gotten this crazy idea that if they had another kid they were just going to get rid of her. "Santana, all kidding aside. What are we going to tell Harper? What are we going to tell our parents? Cause you know that the moment we tell them it's going to be this huge thing where they fight for the affections of a baby. I mean yeah free babysitting but still."

Santana frowns slightly, if she looked at the evidence, there was a _very_ good chance that Charlie didn't have anosmia. She had after all been able to smell her in heat last week. But she didn't want to believe it, Charlie had been careful. "For the last time I'm not—" Her phone decides to go off at that moment and she picks it up after glancing at the number on the screen. "It's the hospital, give me a moment."

Charlie nods and chews on her rice, maybe making sure Santana and Harper had regular time together would make things better. Things hadn't been the most consistent lately, and maybe that was why Harper was getting anxious all of the time. She would need to stop dropping her off with her family and just remember that her daughter was important to her. She would need to do the same thing as well, to remind her daughter how important she was to her. It could work, it didn't matter if Harper was ten or a hundred she was always going to be her little girl.

"Look listen to me, I'm going to need you to run that test again. The results are impossible," Santana insists on the phone barking orders at the lowly tech. She glances at Charlie who is watching her intently. "Yes I'm _sure_ that it's impossible. You probably made a mistake so run the damn test again." She ends the call with a huff and turns to Charlie, "Not a word. This is _your_ fault."

"My fault?" Charlie crinkles her nose. How was this _her_ fault? It's not like she mapped out Santana's heat cycles.

"Yes _your_ fault. I don't know how you got me pregnant but I'm blaming you," it comes out as a bit of a whine and she frowns suddenly wanting to be comforted by her mate and she looks at Charlie who rolls her eyes and opens her arms for her. She immediately goes and curls up on Charlie's lap. "Make me feel better," she demands. It wasn't impossible now that she thought about it. Their sex life prior to her heat cycle had been condom free, and she did remember how babies were made. It didn't matter that Charlie had worn a condom throughout her heat cycle, not when the day before she had been in heat, Charlie had fucked her on ever surface of their hotel room.

"You're going to look hot being pregnant with my kid?" Charlie offers and smiles at Santana broadly. She's met with a dull look from Santana and she barely has time to duck out of the way before Santana smacks her with a throw pillow.

~O~

Harper raised a brow when she saw her mom standing in front of her truck waiting for her. There was a nervous expression on her face coupled by a nervous wave and she couldn't help but narrow her eyes. Santana was supposed to pick her up, she wanted to introduce her to some of her friends, but it was _just_ her mom. She didn't even have her belt with her to make it interesting. She quickly says goodbye to her friends before hopping off the porch and heading straight to her mother. "Mom? Is everything okay with you and Santana? Is she mad at you?" Harper asked.

"Yes and yes," Charlie flashes her daughter a nervous smile and opens the door. She thought by being mates met that they had to do the hard things together, but as Santana pointed out she smelt pregnant and maybe it would be easier to break the news to Harper before she freaked out. She had agreed it was a smart plan only to realize that she had probably been tricked. "I mean apparently it's my fault, but we're going to meet her for breakfast. You know at the diner where they give you all you can eat bacon?"

"The place that we were banned from?" Harper asked a slow grin crossing her face as her mother opened the door for her.

"Yeah well, that was before your mom was a world champion. Now the owner wants me to be his sponsor, and we worked out a deal where we can go once a month and have all the bacon that we want."

"Awesome—wait a minute, why is Santana mad at you? What did you do?" Harper waited for her mom to get into her side of the truck before prodding her in the stomach.

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. So you know how I gave you that book about going into heat it had pictures and—"

The amused smile on Harper's face fell immediately. "Santana's _pregnant_!"

"Oh thank god, you did read it," Charlie lets out the breath that she had been holding. She wasn't in the mood to give Harper the sex talk this early in the morning. "Yes, Santana's pregnant but that doesn't mean that anything is going to change. I mean not really, we're probably going to need to move again to a bigger place. But the most important thing is you're still my daughter, I'm still going to protect you and make you mac and cheese even when you're sick of it. We're still going to watch terrible cartoons in our pajamas while eating cereal that is really bad for you."

Harper frowned, her mom said this now but that was only until the baby came and then she'd be more interested in being a family with Santana and the new baby. "Right," she mumbled. "That's what you're saying now, but the moment the baby comes you're just going to get rid of me or ignore me and—"

Charlie pulled over to the side of the road, "Harper, look at me. Are things going to be hectic? Yeah. Babies are little demons that cry, eat, shit, and like throw up on you. I should know, you enjoyed doing that with me. I don't think I owned a clean shirt for months. But don't you doubt for a moment that my love for you is going to be any less than the new baby."

"But it's Santana's baby and I'm not—"

"You're Santana's daughter too. Fabray-Lopez remember? You remind me more of her than your—biological mother. I mean yeah Santana is _really_ bad when it comes to being on time for anything, but you're smart just like Santana. You're driven just like Santana. You're learning to stand on your own two feet just like Santana. You say what's on your mind, I mean at least you're more polite about it than Santana is but you do. I know things are new right now and we haven't given you a lot of time to adjust but you're also my daughter which means you've probably got a mean left hook and an amazing ability to adapt."

Harper crinkled her nose and nods, "But what if Santana likes her baby more than me? And she doesn't want me to be around her anymore or tells you to get rid of me?"

Charlie raised a brow, "If Santana tells me to get rid of you then she's not the person I thought she was and we'll leave together," Charlie promises and looks at her daughter. "I'm her mate, I know how much she adores you Harper. You should have heard her bragging to her parents about you. Which is why I think you two should have an activity that's just for the two of you. I won't interfere and when the baby comes you two can still have your time together. I imagine it will be mostly plotting my demise but as long as you have fun."

Harper tries not to smile but she can't help it and shifts in her seat so she can hug her mom. She relaxes when her mom pats her leg even if she still felt a bit unsure of herself. "So why is Santana mad at you?"

Charlie snorts, "It's apparently my fault that she's pregnant."

"Isn't it though?" Harper presses and laughs when her mother puffs out her cheeks and huffs. "I'm going to be a big sister."

Charlie flicked her hazel eyes to her daughter for a moment and then made a face, she hadn't exactly informed her daughter that she was already a big sister and now wasn't the time to open that can of worms. When Harper turned eighteen then if she wanted to she could seek out Mack. There was a part of her that hoped that Harper never did, it wasn't as if she had anything to hide but Harper had a big heart and she had a feeling that Mack and her alpha might take advantage of that. She had no idea what Mack's ankle-biters would be like. "Yeah, but you can't tell your grandparents yet, the last thing we need is for them to start buying us crap that we have no room for."

"We could always get a bigger place?"

"I don't think we have a choice in that matter unless you want to share rooms with a baby," Charlie frowns. They don't have a space for the baby, sure there was three bedrooms but they had taken the third bedroom and made it into an office for Santana and a fitness room for her. Santana liked to watch her work out, and then have sex on her desk.

Harper nods as her mom pulls into the diner's parking lot, "Oh, a place opened up across the street from aunt Quinn's place. Beth mentioned it. Then you wouldn't have to worry so much, and Beth can sleep over at our house when aunt Rachel and aunt Quinn are being— _weird_."

Charlie popped the door open, "Really you want us to move across the street from Quinn? Do you really want to be near that crazy all the time?"

"You make them babysit me all the time," Harper points out.

"Because it's _free_ ," Charlie insists. "What's family for if not to inconvenience them at a moment's notice by dumping your kid on them for a few hours?"

"You rarely babysit Beth," Harper points out as they walk into the diner.

"I know because Quinn and Rachel like to hire nannies for her even though they could easily drop her off with me where she can eat mac and cheese with us and watch violent cartoons that she's not allowed to watch at home and she can drink as much soda and eat as much candy as she wants." Charlie smirked at her daughter.

"That's why they don't let you babysit Beth anymore?"

"Yep, Beth throws up one time on Quinn's shoes and I never have to babysit her for the rest of my life, might be different with Santana now," Charlie mused and ruffled Harper's hair. "You know she tried to get me back with you and you ended up getting sick all over me. Difference is I don't own any expensive shoes and besides who did Quinn think took care of you when you were sick?"

Harper rolls her eyes, as they enter the diner where Santana is indeed sitting reading something on her phone. "Hey Santana," her voice is small but it's enough to cause Santana to look up. The movement was enough to cause her to smell it, it was faint but it was there. Santana really was pregnant. "Mom told me you were mad at her."

Santana glances up at Charlie who gives her a small imperceptible nod, things were going to be alright. "Your mother told you what she did to me?"

Harper nods. "She got you—" Harper looks around the room but there isn't anyone paying attention to them. "Pregnant."

"And she's pleased with herself," Santana insists immediately pulling Harper onto her side of the booth and giving Charlie a look to make her sit across from them. Charlie sighs loudly and takes a seat and picks up the menu. "I'm going to get fat, and my boobs are going to big and you know what she said to me?"

"What?" Harper asked looking at her mom a grin on her face.

"She said I would look hot pregnant!" Santana repeats in a scandalized tone.

"Really mom?" Harper crinkles her nose and looks at her mom who is motioning for a cup of coffee. "You said that?"

"I was trying to give her a compliment," Charlie insists immediately, maybe if she was lucky this new baby would be an alpha like her and she'd have someone on her side for once. "It's _romantic_."

Santana scoffs at this and gently prods Harper in the side, "See what I have to put up with?" She immediately wraps an arm around Harper pulling her close to her. "I'm going to need you kid. I don't know how you turned out so awesome despite your crazy mom, but I'll need you to help make sure this baby doesn't take after _her_."

Harper feels a warm flutter in her chest with confirmation that Santana wasn't just going to forget about her. "If we let mom have her way, the baby would probably come out eating mac and cheese."

"We can't have that." Santana agrees.

Charlie grumbles, "There's nothing wrong with mac and cheese." She can't help but smile though mostly to herself as Santana and Harper begin to go into the fact that it was the only thing she could make for Harper.


	38. Chapter 38

Santana grunted, idly circling a potential house as Charlie worked out a particularly painful knot in her foot. The _only_ good thing about being pregnant thus far was that Charlie seemed to be devoted to pampering her as much as possible. It was nice, even though Charlie was torturing herself at the gym she made a special effort to spend every spare second trying to make Santana's life easier.

"What about Godiva?" Charlie asks, breaking the silence. It's her new favorite game, suggesting the most ridiculous names she can think of.

Harper looks up from the table where she's doing her homework. "You've got to be kidding." She deadpans, looking completely unimpressed.

"You'd _better_ be kidding. There's no way I'm naming my kid after chocolate." Santana doesn't look up from the paper their real estate agent sent over.

"Pancetta, then?" Charlie smirks.

Santana swats her with the paper, unimpressed with Charlie's new long-running joke. "Are you just going to keep suggesting food names?"

"The baby can't be named after _food_ , not even if it's bacon." Harper agrees, but Charlie can tell by the way she's biting her lip that she had been considering it.

"Don't even think about suggesting Bacon," Santana insists looking at Charlie suspiciously. She's rewarded with a lazy smile from her mate.

"I'm suggesting food names cause I'm starving. How about I make us some—"

"No mom, you're not allowed to make mac and cheese anymore. That's the rules remember?" Harper interrupts making a face. For some odd reason Santana had started eating the stuff which meant that they were having it a lot more.

"I was going to add bacon bits to it," Charlie offers but she doesn't get an impressed look from her daughter. "Fine maybe we can order something healthy, I can't keep eating take-out. Puck's about to blow a vessel."

"That's an aneurysm right Santana?" Harper asks.

"Yep," Santana flashes a smile at Harper. "Now hurry up with that homework so you can help me pick out houses that the real estate agent sent over. See which one you like. I don't trust your mother with these things. She doesn't have any taste whatsoever."

Charlie huffs at this, so her decorating skills left something to be desired. It wasn't her fault that she just preferred to keep things simple. "I liked how the bedroom looked before you moved all your stuff in it. There's barely any room in the closet for my things."

"Our closet is _tiny_. That's why we need a very spacious walk-in. At the very least a closet we can expand. I have more clothes than you and more stuff than you did." Santana reminds her and shakes her head. She did have far too much stuff, some of which she hadn't unpacked yet.

Charlie's about to retort when Santana's phone rings. Harper programmed her phone a few days ago with personalized ring tones and she's had several calls to identify exactly who _that_ one belongs to.

Santana frowns but answers the phone quickly. She's been avoiding her mother for weeks and if she ignores her, she'll just keep calling. They haven't told anyone about the baby yet, she's still processing, but she knows she's not going to have much longer to keep this to herself. "Mami," she greets half-heartedly. "I was just about to give you a call back," she lies.

Harper glances at Santana for a second before looking at her mom who shrugs her shoulders. She had only gotten to meet her grandparents a few times before her parents had basically decided to avoid everyone like the plague. It was weird not being able to tell Beth what was going on. She was going to be a big sister and her parents were acting like it was no big deal.

"Uh—sure you can stop by anytime you like to see Harper, just give Charlie a call first to make sure it doesn't conflict with her schedule. The hospital has been so hectic lately it's been hard keeping on top of everything," Another lie, she had stopped doing thirty-six hour shifts just because she could. "Speaking of, I just came back to make sure Charlie and Harper weren't eating mac and cheese again, I actually have to get everything done and head back to work soon. So I'll talk to you later." With that Santana tosses her phone on the table and flops back on the couch. "Disaster diverted."

Charlie shakes her head and runs her finger along Santana's legs. "Right, cause lying to them was the best thing to do."

"Well, it's better than your strategy of avoiding them till they leave you alone. How's that working out for you?"

"Well actually, I can get away with just talking to my mom and she doesn't ask about you. She talks business most of the time," Charlie waves her hand. "As for Quinn, well I only talk to them when I absolutely have to. It's a long standing tradition of avoidance, and it's been working really well for me for the last ten years."

"Has it really?" Santana challenges immediately. Maybe if Charlie and Quinn had hung out more then they would have met a few years earlier. Before Charlie had decided to make this fighting thing a career. At least she had managed to wrangle out a deal with her mate, if Charlie lost she had to retire. There was the off chance that her mate would continue to win, so Charlie had put a limit on her wins as well. The record for the most title defenses was ten and Charlie wanted to do twelve before retiring.

"Well, for the most part," Charlie responds taking Santana's hand. "But there are somethings that I would like to go back in the past and change." She brings Santana's hand to her lips kissing it gently.

"Gross! I like it better when you two argue," Harper speaks up. At least there was no kissing and making weird faces at one another.

"I thought you said it was _romantic_." Charlie throws back playfully. She likes everything about her relationship with Santana and she wouldn't change it for the world.

Santana rolls her eyes and turns back to her the paper in front of her. "It's like I already have two children." She mutters, the twinkle in her eye and the small tug at the corner of her lips betraying her amusement.

~0~

"Maribel, you _know_ how it was for the first year that we were mated. So she's avoiding us, when we weren't at school we were basically locked up in your room or mine. This is hardly the end of the world." Carlos frowned as Maribel managed to time it perfectly grabbing the security door that someone had left open. "Let's just let them enjoy each other's company."

"Enjoy each other's company?" Maribel spat in disbelief. "Do you even hear yourself? Our daughter _lied_ to us."

"She told us she was working." Carlos reminded her. It was hardly a lie, he had told his own mother far more extravagant stories when they first mated. "That's hardly—"

"She's _avoiding_ us, she blatantly lied to my face and the only way I ever would have known was by going to the hospital and checking for myself."

Carlos frowned. "And we did far worse when we were first mated."

"That isn't the same. We were _children_." She knew she should have trusted her instincts. Charlie was a terrible influence on her daughter, and she was going to figure out what was happening tonight come hell or high water. Maribel turns briskly only to realize that the entire Fabray clan was standing in front of the elevators staring at her. "They're having a family get together?" For once Maribel Lopez didn't know what to say, her mind immediately going to the worst possible scenario; Santana was embarrassed by them.

"Nope, this is an intervention," Beth answered holding up the sign she had made for her aunt. "Aunt Charlie's disappeared and I haven't seen Harper in _forever_ , well except at school and she's being really weird there."

Rachel groaned, "Beth you can't just go informing people of that, it's a private family matter," she admonishes gently.

"An intervention?" Carlos repeats slowly wondering if there was some drug abuse that he wasn't aware of.

"A sex-intervention," Judy clarifies. "Puck has noticed that Charlie's focus hasn't been where it should be and she's overly tired. Honestly you know how it is when you mate, how you can't get enough of your mate. This is just a friendly reminder that they both have responsibilities and they can't shirk them simply because they're mates. We had to do it with Rachel and Quinn back in the day, they were both missing a lot of classes."

"You're intervening?" Maribel asks turning to Russell finding it hard to believe. He seemed to be pretty hands off with his kid.

Russell shrugged, "Of course I am, I put money down on her next fight. If she's not giving her training her all—well I don't _lose_ money graciously."

Maribel snorted at that. "That seems more like the Russell Fabray I know."

Russell smirks, and nods towards Quinn, "She's just annoyed that Charlie and Santana have been searching for a new place and decided not to go through her. I think that they simply have far too much going on."

"After everything I've done for _both_ of them, the least they can do is give me a little professional courtesy." Quinn grumbled. She's practically broken her back trying to get Charlie a good deal on her apartment, and _now_ they choose to go with someone else? It was _insulting_.

"See Mari, it's not just us Santana is avoiding." Carlos nudged his wife playfully.

Rachel tried not flash an amused smile, Charlie always avoided family engagements unless free food was being offered. She gently pushes Beth into the elevator, "Well, I'm sure once we explain our position the ship will right itself."

"I feel like I should make a sex joke here," Carlos notes, only to have Maribel slap him lightly in the chest. "What? It was like the perfect setup."

"Don't be a child." Maribel admonishes. She does feel slightly better that Santana's avoidance can potentially be written off as typical bonding excitement. It's still completely unacceptable, but maybe Carlos had been right all along. But if they had been having nonstop sex where did that leave Harper? It's definitely a question that needed to be asked. The elevator dings and the doors slide open, it's enough to pull her attention for a moment but she needed to remain focused.

"So remember, the thing is we shouldn't be too confrontational," Rachel reminds them. "You know how Charlie is about confrontation and Santana for that matter—no offense." The last thing she needed was a particularly vicious roasting from Santana.

"Harper said her mom hasn't ever even talked to her about sex. She just threw a book at her and mumbled about being safe and respectful, so Aunt Charlie might get embarrassed." Beth observes helpfully.

"Well," Quinn begins flicking an eye over to her father. "It's probably a better education than we got on the topic."

"Both of my daughters are now mated to very ambitious and successful omegas. As much as you both like to blame your father and I, we clearly weren't terrible failures." Judy retorts on Russell's behalf.

Beth rolls her eyes and knocks on the door of Charlie's apartment before the adults can start to argue some more. She knew that look in her mom's eye and she didn't want any part of it. Maybe she could escape with Harper and they could do something together. It takes a moment and just before she's about to knock on the door again the door swings open and Beth grins at her Aunt Charlie. "Hey Aunt Charlie! Save me."

Charlie glances at her niece for a moment wordlessly before noting that there were far too many people at her door. Immediately she grabs Beth and pulls her inside before closing the door before anyone else can move. "There was just a bunch of crazy people at the door San, nothing to worry about." Charlie patted Beth's shoulder. "Managed to rescue Beth from the hordes of crazy people though."

A loud bang reverberates through the apartment. _"We can hear you, asshole."_ Quinn's voice follows.

Santana frowns from her spot on the couch. It had been such a nice day. "Maybe if we ignore them, then they will go away?"

 _"Santana, open this door."_ Maribel pounded on the door for good measure.

"Wait, when you said crazy, you meant _all_ the crazy?"

"Yes, your parents are outside as well," Charlie answers. "Hey Harper, Beth's here." Charlie calls out and shuffles back to the living room where she can continue to rub Santana's feet for her.

"Can we escape?" Santana asks, cursing Charlie for getting an apartment on the top floor.

"I think it's too late." Charlie responds only to hear the front door being unlocked. She freezes for a moment before making a mad dash only to see her daughter betraying them by inviting their family inside. " _Harper_ how could you?"

"Someone had to act like an adult." Harper mutters. Her mom and Santana were ridiculous. It wasn't the end of the world, it was a baby.

"Santana, this has gone on long enough. I'm your _mother_ and—" Maribel stops short, shocked. "Santana!"

Charlie grimaces. "Surprise?"

"She's pregnant." Quinn's eyes are as wide as saucers. "You got her _pregnant_? You haven't even been mated for a few months!" She had remembered Santana's rants about being pregnant and having babies in general. She hadn't known what to expect when it came to her twin and Santana but this was certainly not high on that list.

"I'm good at what I do." Charlie shrugs.

Santana kicks her foot out, playfully hitting Charlie in the stomach. "Too good." She stands. "So now you know the secret. Congrats. Can you guys leave?"

"Leave?" Carlos floated across the room and swept Santana up in a warm hug. "I'm about to be a grandfather, again. This is the best day of my life." He dropped his daughter and turned to her mate, pulling her tight against him. "Thanks for making an honest woman out of my daughter."

Charlie glances at Santana who rolls her eyes and finally shifts on the couch so she can sit up. "See I told you it was your fault."

Charlie pats Carlos on the back awkwardly, she wasn't big on this whole hugging thing. She liked to hug Santana and her daughter and that was about it. "Uh—"

Rachel blinked at Santana, "How did this happen?"

Santana smirked at her, "Well Rachel, when two mates love each other very much—"

"When were you going to tell us?" Judy interrupts immediately turning to her daughter and swatting her arm. "Or were you just going to show up at our doorstep again with a baby in hand?" She doesn't wait for an answer instead choosing to walk right up to Santana and wrap her arms around her, ignoring Santana's clear discomfort. "How far along are you?"

"Three months?" Santana offers after a moment. "That was when my last heat was anyway," she shrugs. "We just didn't want this big thing just yet. I mean we just got mated the last thing we need is people showing up all the time uninvited." Santana adds the last part making a dig at all the people in their apartment.

"So that's why you're looking for a bigger place?" Quinn asked it was a stupid question of course Charlie and Santana needed a bigger place for their family. "Maybe you can move into a Brownstone? You know there's a place across the street from us. Five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, recently renovated. It's still in this neighborhood so you wouldn't have to move far and it's a pretty safe area. You'll get a backyard."

Santana glanced at Charlie, they needed to get the hell out of here. Charlie nods and Santana can't help but smile, they really didn't need words to communicate. So instead she turns to her mother hoping to cause enough of a distraction for Charlie to make her way out with Harper. "Mami—say something?" Santana nudges watching as Charlie nudges Harper and tilts her head to the door. She flicks her eyes to her mother.

"I'm going to be a grandmother again?" Maribel asks, she can smell it but having Santana verbally confirm it, that's another thing entirely. At this point she had given up hope that her daughter was ever going to have her own child. "A baby?"

Santana groaned inwardly, "Yeah, we're having a baby. Charlie got me pregnant. I'm still furious at her which is why she's been pampering me non-stop for weeks. I'm being taken care of," she promises her mother.

"So you're the reason my daughter's been so distracted," Russell muses for once unsure how to take this information. Lauren had given Charlie some difficulty and her fight in three months—Charlie was distracted.

"You really need to get help for your gambling addiction, you're having another grandkid and that's what you're thinking about?" Maribel snaps at him.

Russell rolled his eyes and looked at Maribel, "Of course it's what I'm thinking about. My daughter shouldn't be fighting while Santana is in this condition, I don't want her to get hurt because her mind isn't in it. I don't care about the quarter of a million dollars I put in this. I just don't want Santana taking care of Charlie because she got put in traction trying to do too much at once."

"He's right, a new house, work, taking care of Harper. Making sure our daughter is well cared-for—maybe I should take some time to help," Carlos mused. It would mean that he'd get to spend time with his daughter during the happiest time of her life.

Quinn nods, "I don't trust that agent. I promise you that I can get a better deal. I have some properties that I manage, some of the owners are looking to sell—look you don't have to worry about it."

"And baby stuff, how have you not been shopping for baby stuff?"

Santana shifted on the couch, getting up when Charlie flashes her a smile, this was actually perfect, and with them bickering it would be easy to slip out. This couldn't have gone any better. "Because they have no room mom remember?" Quinn speaks up.

"And a shower, she _needs_ to have a baby shower," Rachel muses mostly to herself. She had never gotten to throw one of those before and it seemed like it would be fun. Judy had thrown her one and now that Santana was going to experience the _joys_ of pregnancy it would probably lift her spirits when she couldn't see her feet anymore.

The only person who seemed to notice Santana and Charlie's careful extraction plan was Beth. "Aunt Charlie?"

Charlie turns to her niece and grins at her, "Why don't you go play with Harper?" Charlie pats her niece on the shoulder, well she had already rescued her once. Beth rolls her eyes but does as she's told, surprised when Harper quietly tugs her out the front door.

"Or, here's a crazy idea you let Charlie and I pick out our own place? We've got a good real estate agent and I don't want a baby shower you know how much I hate being the center of attention," Santana drawls, narrowing her eyes when Charlie lets out a huge snort at that statement. "What?"

"Nothing?" Charlie responds quickly and holds up her hands when Santana doesn't quite drop it. "I mean you do _sort_ of like being the center of attention. Face it Santana you like it when all eyes are on you especially mine."

"Excuse you? What did you say?"

"Charlie, maybe now would be a good time to—" Russell began; how could his daughter _not_ see the danger involved right now? He had to wonder if it was possible that he had raised an idiot.

"I'm pretty sure you heard me," Charlie said smugly crossing her arms over her chest.

Russell stared at his daughter, he had most definitely raised an _idiot_.

"Well, I certainly hope that you enjoy the attention your hand is going to be giving you for the next month or so," Santana snips at Charlie her tone icy. "I need some air, I'm going for a walk."

She waits until the door is closed, since there's no reason for Santana to _actually_ be mad at her. "Urgh. Pregnancy hormones, right?" She looks around at her parents for support.

"You are an _idiot_." Quinn shakes her head. "Seriously, what are you thinking? Go _after_ her!"

"Fine. It might, uh, be a little while." Charlie runs her hand through her hair and turns to follow her mate. That had been way easier than she thought. Maybe if Beth hadn't started getting suspicious they could have slipped out for more sex. As it is, she's pretty much kidnapping her niece. "Just uh, make yourself comfortable we'll be right back." With that Charlie grabs her keys and puts them in her pocket before quickly slipping out the apartment and heading straight for the elevator, which is being held open by Harper and Beth. "Santana—wait! I was just kidding mostly!"

Santana rolls her eyes at Charlie's terrible acting as she pulls her mate into the elevator and motions for Harper to push the button for the garage. "Really? That's what you decided to go with?"

"Well, you know it's true," Charlie responds with a grin kissing her cheek. "You love it when—"

"Mom, _gross_. You promised to stop being gross in front of me," Harper insists immediately shaking her head in disgust.

"Uh—where are we going?" Beth asks, it's weird she never got to have fun like this and aunt Charlie never followed her parents rules. She got to eat whatever she wanted whenever she wanted and got to have as much fun as possible.

"You're our hostage," Harper informs Beth patting her back a smile on her face. "We need to find a place to hide out until everyone leaves."

"What we need is food," Santana speaks up causing Charlie to turn to her. "I'm craving bacon so maybe the diner? We haven't been this month have we?"

"No we haven't. You'll love this place Beth, best milkshakes. All you can eat bacon, awesome fries, and huge burgers. They even serve root beer floats."

"Plus they make all the desserts _fresh_ , and they have really good pie and cake, oh and cupcakes. I really like the cupcakes."

Santana gently prods Charlie's side as they get off and head towards Charlie's truck. "Aren't you on a diet?"

"I'm making today my cheat day. Don't say anything to Puck, he'll murder me," Charlie grins at her mate. She hadn't been doing all that well this time when it came to her diet. But after this week it would be the last time she cheated on her diet.

Santana prodded Charlie's tummy again before shaking her head, she was going to start meeting Charlie at the gym. "Fine, but after today you're back on your diet. I'm serious, all because I can eat what I want doesn't mean that you get to. I'm _pregnant_ and since I'm carrying your child the least you can do for me is keep those abs of yours, and all your upper body strength."

" _Please_ stop being gross, we've got to go. I think they're getting suspicious," Harper said pointing at Beth's phone which was buzzing quietly.

"Okay everyone into the truck. We've got to go now," Santana orders opening the door for both Harper and Beth who immediately get inside. She closes the door before scrambling up to the passenger seat as Charlie starts the engine. So this was how Thelma and Louise felt, well at the very least they wouldn't be driving off a cliff.


	39. Chapter 39

"I swear to God, Charlie. Next time I can move without waddling I'm going to kick your ass." Santana calls from her bed. She's the size of a small country and yet no one will fucking induce her because they _say_ the baby isn't at 38 weeks yet. Idiots. Never _mind_ the fact that the baby is going to be the size of a bowling ball and she's uncomfortable as hell. No. Now she has to be on bedrest because her blood pressure is too fucking high.

"Yes dear." Charlie replies, aware that it will probably piss Santana off but not really having anything else she can say. Santana had a pretty symptom free first trimester, other than extra horniness and sensitive boobs, Charlie openly scoffed at people who complained about their pregnant wife. But months of retaining water and high blood pressure, combined with gestational diabetes meant that Santana was bloated, cranky and uncomfortable. "I'll have Puck put you down on the list of people who want to kick my ass—tomorrow. So please calm down and think of your blood pressure."

"You know what would help me calm down? Getting this baby out of me." Santana frowned when Charlie didn't immediately respond. "You know what I hear helps? Sex. So hop to it."

Charlie paused from where she was reading the script that her mother had sent over and turned to her mate. "Since when did you believe in old wives tales?"

"Having an orgasm can help stimulate my damn womb by triggering the release of oxytocin which is a hormone that helps with contractions. So take off your damn pants and hurry up." Santana barks at Charlie.

Charlie blinks at her mate, realizing that she's in one of those no win situations that is probably going to get her in trouble. "No?"

Santana stares at Charlie blankly, Charlie had been avoiding having sex with her for the past few weeks, ever since the baby had kicked for the first time. "Is it because I look like a beached whale or is it these ugly ass maternity clothes that your mother bought for me?" There was a hint of a waver in Santana's voice sending alarm bells ringing in Charlie's head. Charlie had to tread carefully.

"It's because you have a baby inside you," Charlie responds after a moment. At Santana's horrified look Charlie flushes and continues before her mate murders her. "I think you look beautiful Santana, I'll always think you look beautiful and you know I always want to have sex with you. But there's a baby inside you that looks like a baby, with eyes and ears and stuff, and I don't know—like what if I have sex with you and your water breaks or something? Like if I put it in and like I hurt you or the baby?"

Santana opened her mouth and then closed it for a moment and then opened it. Their child wasn't even born yet and it was cock blocking her. "Charlie—I don't even know where to begin to pull that statement apart. But it's perfectly safe to have sex with me, maybe not the same bed rocking sex that we had earlier on but we can have sex."

Charlie glanced at Santana's stomach again, it wasn't as if she didn't want to be close with her mate and join with her. But ever since she had seen the sonogram of her child in Santana, it had been hard for her to avoid thinking about it. "I'm sorry Santana I can't."

Santana grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it at Charlie with all the force she could muster. "Fuck you. It's not that you can't, it's that you _won't_. So instead, I'm cold and hungry and you won't even give me five minutes of your time."

"You _literally_ just said you were too hot." Charlie observes. "Five minutes ago you threw all the blankets at me and told me to put them away."

"Harper?" Santana calls loudly. "I need you!"

"Really you have to get our daughter involved in this?" Charlie groans, at this point she might as well just get naked and get it over with. She wanted the damn baby out of Santana just as much as Santana wanted to be free. Santana pregnant hadn't been as fun as she thought it would be.

Harper poked her head into the bedroom and flashed a smile at Santana. "What did mom do now?"

"Nothing!" Charlie insists.

"I said that I was cold and she won't do anything about it," Santana informs Harper and pats the bed beside her. "She also won't help get the baby out of me."

"This isn't about sex is it?" Harper curls her lip in disgust at the thought. This wouldn't be the first time her parents tried to put her in the middle of some sex-related argument without telling her. "Because if it is, then that's gross and I don't want to know."

"It's that she doesn't _care_ about me." Santana sniffles and based on the look on Harper's face, Charlie's pretty sure her daughter detects the lie but doesn't say anything.

"She's upset because I won't get naked for her," Charlie informs her daughter. "This is totally about sex."

"I'm upset because you stopped pampering me months ago, when I began to get fat." Santana retorts.

"I broke my hand knocking Lauren out. I'm _sorry_ I couldn't massage your feet anymore."

"Or do _other_ things. Why did you have to go and break your _right hand_?"

"Okay that's _really_ gross." Harper shook her head. "Mom, her blood pressure remember? It's not good for the baby."

"Or my sanity," Charlie mutters, she loved her mate she truly needed Santana to stop being pregnant so she could have her sane mate back. Hormones and Santana were not friends. Her mate was bored most of the time because she was on strict bed rest, and it bothered her that the pregnancy had been so difficult on her. There was a small part of her that wondered if this was what Mack had gone through by herself. She puts her tablet down on the nightstand and shifts over to her mate. "I'm sorry for not taking care of you. What can I do for you?"

"I'm hungry." Santana settles on. It's _one_ of the major discomforts she can identify right now and she's not about to let Charlie get that stupid smug grin on her face by admitting that she really does just want sex. Harper's still in the room, so she'll have to settle for second best.

"It's almost nine-thirty." Charlie narrows her eyes well aware of what this could possibly entail. She's already played the game where she wanders around town in the wee hours of the morning to find Santana's rare pint of ice cream only to come home and find Santana fast asleep. It was hard to be irritated at Santana when she looked so damn peaceful asleep.

"I want fried chicken."

Charlie grinned she didn't need to leave their new brownstone. "We can do that, there's that place that delivers—"

"No Charlie, not that chicken. I want Popeye's and don't forget the biscuits this time."

"Popeye's is on the other side of _town_ " Charlie whines. "Can't you want something closer?"

Harper cringes and slides up on the bed between Santana and her mom. "Go get us chicken, and maybe a salad too." They were supposed to be helping Santana eat well, not stressing her out.

"Why can't _you_ go get it?" Charlie retorts.

"I'm eleven." Harper rolls her eyes.

Charlie grumbles but swings her legs out of bed. "That's old enough to be married in some places. With four kids."

"No it's not." Harper crinkled her nose, she still hadn't had her first heat yet.

"Who's the mom here?"

"Can I get you anything, _mama_? Like another blanket? Maybe a glass of milk?" She ignores her mom and focuses on Santana, using the term of endearment that she had only been trying out in the last few months. She knew Santana liked it, and if she used it carefully it was often enough to distract her from whatever stupid thing her mom might have said.

Sure enough, Santana softens just slightly and nods. "Maybe a popsicle? I'm hot."

"I'll get it." Charlie rolls her eyes dramatically at her daughter, who is now curled up with Santana. She _really_ hoped that this kid was an alpha she really needed someone who would take her side for once. But despite her grumbling, she can't find it in her to be annoyed. This kid was _hers_ and she got to be around for every second of it. She had come to a startling realization a month or so ago, that even if this kid was a _beta_ , she'd love it all the same.

It takes two tries before she gets it right, apparently Santana has developed a distaste for both grape and cherry popsicles, which conveniently only raised itself once Charlie returned with the popsicles. "You're _sure_ you want Popeye's?"

"Yes I'm sure." Santana huffs. Like she'd change her mind about something like that. She was _starving_ and her back has been killing her all day. "Quit stallin' and get me my biscuits."

Charlie put her hands on her hips and pointed at her daughter. "You are in charge, make sure she stays in bed no matter what she says."

"I know."

"And I don't care how funny it is, but do _not_ call and tell me she's in labor just to time how long it takes me to get back." She warns. Santana and Harper have conspired against her and it's too late for her to really find humor in their attempts to 'prepare' her for the baby's birth.

"Spoil sport." Santana smirks.

"And if you need anything—"

"Aunt Rachel is across the street." Harper finishes for her. They've done this enough times that she knows all of the warnings her mom can think of. "Get us some mashed potatoes, too."

"Ooo, and mac and cheese."

Charlie just barely manages not to grimace. She's had so much mac and cheese over this pregnancy that the idea of it grosses her out. Instead, she smiles and strides across the room to kiss Santana quickly. She rubs Santana's belly affectionately. "Okay Baby Bacon, stay in there for tonight."

Santana swats her hand away playfully. "We are not naming the baby Bacon, no matter what you bribe me with, now go get me my damn chicken."

"Yes ma'am." Charlie salutes her mate.

~0~

"Harper?" Charlie balances her phone between her ear and shoulder as she turns into the drive through. "What's up kid?"

"Mom, you've got to come home right now." Harper's starting to freak out. She had just been helping Santana to the bathroom when her water broke. Santana assured her that it was fine, but she could tell that she wasn't the only one feeling scared. "Santana's having the baby."

"Ha ha." Charlie deadpans. "Very funny."

"I'm serious. She's changing but—"

"Harper, I know you think this is funny, but it's not. I'm just pulling in now and I'll be home as soon as I can. I'm _not_ going to get into an accident just because Santana wants her pie—and yes, I'm getting pie even though she didn't ask for it."

"Mom, you need to come home right _now_." Harper reiterates.

"Love you, be home soon." Charlie hangs up. They've pranked her too many times for her to actually believe that her mate is having the baby already. The doctor said it would likely be another week. Just to be on the safe side, she'll speed a little on the way home.

When the call disconnects, Harper stares at it in disbelief. This _can't_ be happening. She's tempted to call her mom back and yell at her, but what good would that do? Her mom's already super far away, and the hospital is only about two blocks away.

"What'd your mom say?" Santana asks, waddling out of the bathroom in clean baggy sweat pants and leaning against the door frame.

Harper smiles nervously, deciding it's probably better to lie in this situation than to admit that her mom is too focused on picking up their fast food to come home for the baby's birth. "She's going to meet us at the hospital. She thought I should have Aunt Quinn take us to the hospital."

Santana nods it makes sense, especially since Charlie's all the way across town. "Okay—get the overnight bag, and let's walk over to Quinn's house and have her take us. My water just broke, I'm in pre-labor. I want to get there before labor actually starts and I start feeling the contractions." Despite her initial panic all off her medical training kicks in. "Or at the very least have them induce me right away."

Harper hesitates not sure if she should be walking in her condition, this was why her mom was supposed to be here. Maybe just maybe they had cried wolf too many times. "Okay, should you be walking?"

"Harper, I can walk across the street and down the street, but if you want to call Quinn and tell her to get her ass over here with a car than that's great. I'm going to need a towel or something to put down cause I'm still leaking."

"Are you supposed to be?" Harper asks.

"I'm fine Harper, this is what happens when you get pregnant. I've delivered enough babies during my med school rotations to know what to do, and I just really want to get to the hospital so they can induce me and I can get this baby out of me."

"Well what about your blood pressure?"

"Harper, _please_ just call Quinn. I'm fine, I'll let you know if I'm not."

Harper studies Santana for a moment before nodding and picking up her phone to call her aunt Quinn and aunt Rachel. Maybe they could call her grandparents. She would have to keep her mom in the loop so she could still make it in time to be with Santana.

~O~

"Don't be mad at me mom, I _told_ you that her water broke," Harper hissed into the phone glancing up at her grandparents who had demanded to know where her mother was, when her mother was nowhere to be found. "You really need to hurry up and get here, Santana's waiting for you."

"I'm here! I just looking for a parking spot that isn't five miles away from the hospital."

"Just park the car and run." Harper orders shaking her head, it wasn't as if it was urgent and Santana was pushing the baby out now, in fact Santana hadn't even started her contractions and was just waiting for Charlie to finally arrive so she could be induced. "I think grandma looks like she wants to murder you," Harper whispered glancing at Maribel who looked angry.

"Which one? My mom or Santana's?"

"Both of them, Santana kicked everyone but me out of the room until you got here. I'm just outside to tell you to hurry cause Santana _really_ wants you here."

"Well she shouldn't have sent me to Popeye's. Finally I found one, I'll be inside in about five minutes, tell Santana that I wouldn't miss this for the world and I brought her food."

"Just leave the food." Harper can't help but smile at her mom's attempt.

"Nope. I'm not risking it. See you in a second." Charlie disconnected the call.

Harper sighs and glances at the rest of her family for a moment, "She's here and is parking the truck. She should be here in a few moments."

"My daughter is in there pregnant and alone and she was off doing what?" Maribel seethes, there were times when she could tolerate Charlie. Then there were times like this when she was reminded of the selfish alpha who let her daughter get sick.

"Um, Santana asked her to go to Popeye's and she's just coming back," Harper explains. She decides not add how they had tested her mom to see if she could make it back in time.

Quinn bit her lip that actually made sense. She almost, _almost_ felt sorry for her sister. "Well that doesn't explain why she's not here yet. She shouldn't have gone far with Santana being in—well her condition."

Harper shrugged, she had long given up on trying to figure out her parent's relationship. All she knew was that her mom loved Santana very much and Santana loved Charlie just as much. Sure they were really gross when it came to the public displays of affection but sometimes at night she'd listen to them just talk or just watch her mom hold Santana in her arms. It was the happiest that she'd ever seen her mom. She was still nervous about the baby, but her mom had kept her promise and Santana and her had become really close over the past few months.

"I'm here!" Charlie stumbled out of the elevator clutching a bag that clearly read Popeye's, "Where is she?" She frowns when her family just stares at her and inhales deeply. "She asked me for food, I as a good alpha went down to the store and got food for my pregnant mate. Now where is she, she's probably still hungry. So can someone please point me to my mate. She needs me."

"Should she be eating that?" Carlos crinkled his nose. He had read his daughter's file and he had to wonder about her diet.

Charlie glanced at him, "You try saying no to Santana when she's pregnant and in a mood," Charlie shuddered.

"As an alpha you should be able to put your foot down when it comes to your mate's health," Russel lectured immediately.

"Yeah," Quinn quickly agreed crossing her arms.

Charlie glanced at her mother, "Ignore them, your father went out at three am looking for a store that was open just to find me the right tub of ice cream. Happy wife, happy life as they say."

"So—uh where's my mate?" Charlie asked after an awkward pause. She was exhausted and just wanted to go and comfort her mate and hopefully avoid Santana's threats to murder her for getting her pregnant in the first place.

Harper grabbed her mom's arm and tugged her. "Over here, she doesn't want to get induced until you were here, I think she's scared," Harper's voice drops at that part.

Charlie adjusted the bags of food in her arms as she followed her daughter. "Right, I'm sorry I hung up on you. I thought you were trying to prank me again. Did you panic? I think I would have panicked."

"I did, I'm sorry but Santana was really calm and told me what to do and she gave me a science lesson too on our way to the hospital. She said the contractions hadn't started yet."

"Good," Charlie clutches the bags of food tighter in her hands, just in case. "Santana's good in situations like that," Charlie says mostly to herself trying to assuage the guilt she felt. Much better than she would have been. She moves quickly toward the small room that Harper indicated, steeling herself before pulling it open.

She doesn't even step into the door before Santana narrows her eyes angrily. "Where the fuck have you been?"

Charlie holds up the bag as a peace offering. "I got food."

"Do you think we are at a tailgate party? That smells awful. Whose bright idea was it to bring fried chicken to our baby's _birth_?"

"Told you should have left the food in the car," Harper whispers to her mother not being helpful in the slightest.

Charlie's eye twitched at that statement and she stared at her mate incredulously, she was at the very end of her rope and she didn't know how much more she could take. Santana was driving her crazy and the baby wasn't even here yet. "Harper, why don't you take the food that I went across town for and give it to the rest of the family? We're probably going to be here awhile, and they might get hungry."

Harper looked between her two parents for a moment before taking the bag of food from her mom, "Don't be mad at her, she's worried about the baby."

Charlie steps forward handing the food off to her daughter, noting that Harper didn't clarify _who_ was supposed to be worried about the baby and who wasn't supposed to get mad. Whatever. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I'm here?"

Santana softens. "Get over here. The doctor said it might be a while."

"Baby Bacon's definitely your kid then." Charlie teases. "Taking its sweet ass time."

"Harper, tell your mom to be nice to me." Santana whines, reaching out for Charlie and grabbing her hand. Just having Charlie here is like a calming balm to her frantically beating heart.

"Be nice." Harper admonishes. She's a little glad that she gets to wait outside now, it's been cool to learn about babies and pregnancy and stuff, but there's only so much she can really handle today. She's nervous and Santana's in pain and it's a little scary. Hanging out with her aunts and grandparents seems like a much better alternative.

"And leave the biscuits." Santana adds for good measure.

Harper stops and sighs looking at the ceiling as her mom roots in the bag for the biscuits pulling out one pack before nodding at her. "Bye Santana, bye mom, I'll wait with Beth."

"Don't get underfoot," Charlie calls out after her before moving towards her mate, dragging a chair beside her so she could sit down beside Santana. "Pretty sure I told Baby Bacon to stay in there tonight, I guess no one really listens to me." Charlie huffs.

"I do," Santana runs her hand over her stomach. "I didn't think it'd happen today or I never would have sent you out for food." She's quiet for a moment studying Charlie who is just holding her hand tightly. "I'm sorry I know I've been driving you up the wall."

"You have, but you were pregnant, and I've never done this before. The pregnancy bit, I just got handed a fully formed baby. At least Mack had the decency to face me instead of just leaving a baby on my doorstep," Charlie muses.

"When we mated—I felt how angry you were. I know how much you hate betas and I know that it's unlikely that we'll have one but what if she is—"

"A beta?"

"Yeah, what if we create a beta." It was something she had been meaning to bring up but with how their schedules were, she had never found the right moment.

"She's my kid, she's _our_ child. I'm going to love her no matter what. But if she is—it might be difficult for me at first or maybe when our kid is older—but I'll get help. I'll go see people and deal with it so Baby Bacon doesn't for one second think that I love her less than Harper."

Santana relaxes she can hear the earnestness in Charlie's voice and she can feel the conviction behind the words. They were just that though words right now but it was a bridge that they'd have to cross eventually. "You should still go, to get help you know. You can't keep hating all betas forever. Just—hate him. Hate the guy who did that to you. I do. I hate him."

Charlie sighs, it's not like she's a danger to other betas anymore. She just doesn't like them or trust them. "Santana—"

"I know you don't want to do it, but Harper wants to play soccer to be like you and you keep saying no because the coach is a beta, I don't want our kids to live in fear Charlie. I don't want you stopping them from doing something that they might like just because something bad happened to you."

"I see."

Santana cringes when a contraction hits. Charlie's there beside her, rubbing her back through the worst of it. Maybe Charlie _can't_ prove anything to her right now. Maybe it doesn't matter. But she's got to get this baby out of her and they will figure everything else later. "Now I'm in labor. _Fuck_ that hurt."

~O~

Seven hours, thirty-five minutes and sixteen seconds. That's how long Santana was in labor before she gave the last glorious push. Her throat was hoarse from shouting at Charlie and the nursing staff. It's not like she had a reputation to ruin at this hospital, everyone all around was pretty afraid of her. She's exhausted, physically and emotionally exhausted and yet a panic begins to set in because babies were supposed to cry. It helped close the foramen ovale in their heart and—

The shrill cry of a baby filled the room after the cord was cut, stopping Santana's panic from creeping any further. "Ten fingers, ten toes. From the looks of it a perfectly healthy baby girl, congratulations. We'll do the test shortly to determine her classification."

"Do you hear that?" Charlie's beaming grin was nearly infectious. "That's our _baby_." Charlie watched as her daughter was wiped clean and immediately held out her arms protectively wanting to hold their new child.

The nurse glanced at Santana, wanting to drape the child onto Santana's body. "I held her for nine months, she can carry her for the first minute," Santana spoke after a moment. She could barely lift her arms and she was exhausted. "But don't you dare let her name the kid. I get to do that, she can't be trusted."

Charlie quickly took her daughter who was still screaming in her arms, "Hey there Bacon Bit," Charlie greeted, tears in her eyes, before looking at her mate. "She's _beautiful_ Santana. Look at her. Look at what we made together," Charlie shifts her body so Santana can look at _their_ daughter.

Santana smiles at the little scrunched up baby face as if their newborn is personally offended at having to come into the world. Charlie lifts up the little hat on the baby's head to show Santana the fine fuzzy black hair that is already covering their daughter. "Okay, your turns over, it's my turn." With every last bit of energy she raised her arms so Charlie could transfer the baby to her.

"Okay—okay—support the head, there we go," Charlie mumbles lecturing her mate, watching the two of them carefully. Santana doesn't bother to remind her that she's a doctor and she does know how to hold a baby. She may have been an accident but she was the accident of the happy variety. She certainly had no intention of getting Santana pregnant ever again, but they had done something incredibly beautiful. "We need to get Harper in here. She needs to meet her little sister."

The words are finally enough to tear her eyes away from the baby in her arms and Santana nods. "Only Harper, I just want the two—no three most important women in my life for no to be here."

Charlie beams at the statement, Harper had absolutely _nothing to worry_ about. "What are we going to call her? Our parents are going to want a name—unless you've seriously thought about Bacon Bit—"

"Isabela. Her name is Isabela B. Fabray-Lopez," Santana interrupts.

"B? What does the B stand for?"

"Nothing, just B."

"Bacon. It stands for bacon, right?" Charlie's beaming grin was nearly infectious.

"I'm never going to put that on her birth certificate. So all you get is a letter," Santana informs her mate, not bothering to look up at her. She can already feel the huge smile on Charlie's face. It was the least she could do for being an absolute nightmare for the past four months. Plus, she never had to _admit_ that it stood for Bacon, this was good enough.

Charlie slips away to go grab Harper, and Santana doesn't even notice the passage of time as she stares at the infant in her arms in wonder. They had made this, together. In Santana's arms, Bela had calmed considerably. "That's right, just remember I'm your favorite." She coos.

"Turning her against me already?" Charlie smirks from the doorway with Harper in tow.

Harper stopped awkwardly at the door noticing the look on Santana's face, and immediately the worry began to set in. "Hey," she says after a moment causing Santana and Charlie to turn to her. Santana had so much love on her face and even if Santana said otherwise Bela was going to be her new favorite. She was going to be forgotten. She had to wonder if her mom—her bio mom had ever looked at her like that. Like she was wanted.

Charlie frowns, wanting to push Harper forward and let her hold her new baby sister, but this was something that Harper and Santana needed to work out, and at this moment she couldn't interfere. Santana loved Harper, she knew this more than anything and Harper needed to see it too. That it didn't matter if Santana hadn't given birth to her.

Santana looks at Harper for a moment, before raising a brow, "Well? What are you waiting for? Come meet your baby sister Harper." Harper moves cautiously at first approaching the hospital bed and Santana decides to continue talking. "You've got an important job Harper, because I still don't know how you turned out so well under your mom's supervision."

Harper flashed Santana a smile as she climbed up on the chair so she could get a better look at her sister, "What's that?"

"You've got to love her, she's your sister Harper. I may not be your biological mother Harper, but—" Santana glances at Charlie who nods her head once. "You're my daughter too. So you've got to protect her, and make sure that your mom doesn't think it's okay to feed her mac and cheese or anything else."

"I think we all know what Bacon Bit's favorite food is going to be." Charlie speaks up finally approaching her family and patting Harper on the head gently as she wipes her face.

"You did _not_ name her Bacon." Harper narrows her eyes at her mom. Maybe Santana was right, this could be a bigger job than she thought.

"Isabela." Santana answers for her, carefully declining to explain much further. "See, this is why I need you to have my back."

Harper nods agreeing with Santana immediately. "Can I—can I hold her?"

Santana nods, and allows Charlie to take Isabela and carefully sets Harper up so she's protecting Isabela's neck. Isabela had fussed the moment Charlie had touched her and had settled right back down when Harper held her. She didn't need a blood test to know that she had just given birth to an alpha. Charlie hadn't figured it out yet, and she wasn't going to ruin the surprise. "Meet your big sister Bela," Santana whispers to her daughter. She wants to take a picture of them together like this, but there will be plenty of time for pictures later.

"Hey—Isabela," Harper mumbles, her little sister still has her eyes closed and she looks up at her parents for a moment. "We've got the best parents in the world—well mostly they're really weird though. But—they are our parents and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world."


	40. Chapter 40

Santana Fabray-Lopez rolled over and looked at her mate who was still sleeping, it was one of the few times that she was awake before her mate. With a little bit of effort, she reaches forward and runs her finger along her mate's exposed abdomen and onto her tight black boxers. She plays with the waistband of Charlie's boxers for a moment before deciding to take advantage of what seemed to be a quiet morning. She couldn't remember the last time that they had been uninterrupted for that long. She smirks as she straddles her mate, even asleep Charlie's body reacts to her and she can immediately feel the hardening member underneath her. She grinds herself against her for a moment waiting patiently until one of Charlie's eyes open. "Morning," She murmurs quietly.

A smile slowly appears on Charlie's face. "Must be dreaming," she mumbles, propping herself up on her elbows. They hadn't had morning sex in _years_. Every time they tried they were always interrupted. Something about having to take the kids to school, or Santana being on call, or _other_ things. She had thought that since she had retired from fighting that there would be more time to have sex with Santana but that had been a bust.

"Well, this must be a very good dream then," Santana laughs when Charlie bucks her hips and rolls them over so she's the one on top. Someone was clearly feeling the urge to exert her dominance today, not that she minded since it usually led to some of the best orgasms.

"Very best," Charlie agrees leaning in to nip Santana's mark. There were days when she couldn't believe that she had managed to mate with the most beautiful, thoughtful and caring omega in the world. Sure there was a bit of crazy in there but it didn't matter, she loved her mate all the same. "So, since this is a dream—"

The door to their room burst open and the sound of footsteps entering the room was heard, interrupting Charlie and causing Santana to attempt to pull away from her. "Mami! Mami! It's Harper's birthday!"

Charlie's left eye twitched as Bela climbed onto _their_ bed and attempted to push her off her mate. Santana's eyes danced in amusement as her arm was grabbed and Bela attempted to free her from Charlie's grasp. "Yes it is, why don't we let her sleep in?" Santana suggests. "You know, that was rude not saying hello to your mom."

Bela finally turns to look at Charlie and crinkled her nose after a moment, "Hi," she greets before turning back to Santana. "Come on Mami! it's her birthday and I want to give her my present now!" Bela whines still trying to tug her mami free.

"Isabela, what have we said about coming into our room without knocking?" Charlie snipped at her daughter.

"Why? You weren't doing anything important." Bela responds easily, there's a small smirk on her face which reminds Charlie of Santana.

"You little—" Charlie begins only to have Santana reach down with her free arm and give her a firm squeeze.

"Bela, let me get dressed first and then talk to your mom about our gift to Harper and then we'll go surprise her and sing her happy birthday," Santana interrupts trying to keep the peace between her daughter and her mate. Charlie loved Bela, and she knew that her daughter loved her mother just fine but ever since Charlie had retired Bela had enjoyed getting under her mother's skin and openly challenging her mother as an alpha at every turn.

Bela nods, that makes sense. "I'll be outside," she turns to her mom as she says this and sticks out her tongue before hopping off the bed and walking outside the bedroom.

Charlie turns on Santana and let out a low deep frustrated growl, "What am I going to do with her?"

"She thinks she's helping you," Santana admits after a moment. "She thinks if she makes you feel old then you'll go back to fighting, you know how much she loved watching you fight. She still thinks you're the best in the world. Just talk to her. She cried when you retired, I think it caught her off guard. She's seven, Charlie, she'll get over it." Santana watched as Charlie finally rolled off her and flopped back on the bed.

"It's not like I wanted to retire." Charlie grumbles. It had been harder than she thought it would be, quitting while she was still at the top of her game. But she had _promised_ and she wasn't exactly getting any younger. Now she was stuck doing appearances in movies and doing fight choreography doing plus running the gym she was plenty busy.

"I know." Santana sooths. Truthfully it was the best day of her life when Charlie retired, she had been forgetting things, small things but it had been enough to put her on edge. Things were better now, Charlie was healthy. Everything else would work itself out. "And Bela will get over it eventually, I promise."

Charlie sighs and nods turning to look at her mate, "Do you have Harper's present?"

"I do." Santana nods, gesturing to the keys on the bedside table. "I still think it's ridiculous to give our eighteen-year-old daughter a _car_."

Charlie grunts, "If she has a car then she doesn't need to get rides from that _boy_."

Santana rolls her eyes but doesn't say anything. That boy that Charlie loathes isn't Harper's alpha but he was an alpha. Charlie hadn't taken to Harper's dating life very well, "I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"Bela doesn't like him." Charlie counters.

Santana meets Charlie's gaze, her eyes twinkling with mirth. " _Bela_ is a seven-year-old alpha who thinks she knows everything. She doesn't like him because _you_ don't like him, and he isn't even Harper's mate so I don't see the harm."

"He was in her room with the door closed!" Charlie counters immediately. Of course there was harm, Harper could get pregnant or she could mate with that putz.

"They had their clothes on and they were working on a project, and you made the rules clear that she can't do it again." Santana shakes her head and nudges her wife gently, kissing her cheek. "Speaking of presents—what about you?"

Charlie frowns and rolls over, finally getting out of bed, "I have them. All of them."

"Have you decided?"

"I made myself a promise that when she turned eighteen she'd have the choice—I don't know if I want Bela to know though," Charlie admits after a moment turning when Santana's arms encircle her waist and she feels Santana's breasts pushed against her back.

"It's your call." Santana shrugs. She doesn't really think it matters either way, as far as she is concerned, she has two children. One of them just didn't force her to gain a bunch of weight and be in misery for nearly a year. "But I think Bela's old enough to start to understand and it's not as though our family has anything to be ashamed of."

"I don't want her to see Harper any differently than she does right now."

"Bela _adores_ Harper. Nothing is ever going to change that, and I won't stand for it. Harper's my daughter just as much as Bela is," Santana insists.

"What do you think I should do?"

"I can't tell you that. I _hate_ _her_. Yes she gave me Harper, but I hate her for what she did to the two of you. Of course I'm grateful you never mated with her but I still hate her."

Charlie smiles. Santana's protective surge will never stop filling her with a warm sense of wonder. She had never understood, when people spoke of their mates and their bond, what it meant to have someone that was always on her side. Even after all of these years together, it was a feeling that she never wanted to let go. "Let's do it." She grabs the letters from the shoebox she had kept them in for all of these years at the back of her closet.

Armed with the box, she leads the way to Harper's room where Bela is waiting impatiently holding her present. "Took you guys long enough." She mutters.

Charlie eyes her daughter and gives her a swift whack upside the head. "Mind your manners."

Bela grins mischievously and changes her stance, prepared to lunge at her mom only to have Santana step in between them. "Knock it off you two," She glares at both of them despite the fact that watching her two alphas wrestle is pretty darn adorable. "Charlie, we don't want her teacher calling CPS because you thought it was a good idea to play prized fighter with our daughter."

"She started it."

Santana closes her eyes and counts to ten before deciding to smack them both upside the head. "Children," she mutters under her breath before knocking on Harper's door. "It's Harper's birthday so today is about her, not the two of you acting like children."

"I'm an adult," Charlie responds. "Tell her to stop acting like a child," Charlie points at her daughter who immediately sticks out her tongue again. "Why you little—"

The door to Harper's room opened before her mom could attempt to get her hands on her little sister. "I-HOP?" She asks rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Is that where we're going today?"

Bela immediately shoved her gift into Harper's hands. "Open mine first," she orders. "It's _awesome_."

"It's not—" Charlie was rewarded with a sharp elbow from Santana to the side. "Right. Let's see what Bela got for you."

Harper glanced at her sister for a moment before opening the wrapped present. Inside was a mug with the shape of Bela's favorite superhero. Harper bit her lip trying not to smile, of course that was what Bela would give her. "Now we can match?"

"Now you have your own so you can stop using mine," Bela responded patting her sister on the side. "Told you it was an awesome present! Better than mom's present, she put it in a shoebox!"

Harper turned to look at her mom, her eyes falling on the shoebox for a moment before looking back at her sister, "Are you finally going to tell Bela?"

Charlie nearly dropped the box, "Wait—what?"

"Tell me?" Bela asked immediately and looked at the shoebox carefully. "Tell me what?" She reaches for the shoebox only to have her mom pull it out of her reach.

"You _know_?" Charlie blinks in utter shock.

Santana rolls her eyes. She guesses they shouldn't be surprised, Harper's a curious kid and it's not exactly like the back of her closet is an impenetrable safe. "How long have you known?" She asks, curious herself.

"A while." Harper shrugs. She's actually been planning this for a while, and she would never forgive herself if she gave up this opportunity to tease her little sister. "It was kind of obvious."

" _What_ is obvious?" Bela's practically begging now.

Harper looks at her sister seriously, and sighs. "This doesn't change anything, Bela, you'll always be my favorite Bacon Bit."

Bela blushes at the nickname. She's heard the story a lot, how that was her nickname for years until she went to preschool and introduced herself as Bacon Bit. She even remembers it, a little, but now her Mami doesn't let anyone but Harper call her that. Even though she can sense the teasing note in her sister's voice, she can't help but let her curiosity get the better of her. "What doesn't change anything?"

"I'm a wizard, Bela." Harper intones with the straightest face she can muster.

Bela looks at her sister with wide trusting eyes. "You are? I knew it."

Santana snorts. She should have known Harper would be a little shit about this. "Harper—" She shakes her head. Sensing that this is starting to get out of hand, and taking pity on her youngest daughter, Santana steps in. "No. She's not. Bela, Harper and you are sisters because Charlie is the mother of both of you. But even though Harper's my kid in all the ways that matter, she wasn't born from me like you were."

Bela took a step back. "What?"

"I have another mother." Harper confirms.

Bela looks at Charlie for confirmation, but Charlie's still too stunned to do more than nod. She furrows her brow in confusion. "Well where is she?"

"My mom is standing beside you. As for the person who gave birth to me? Well she's somewhere in Texas. I think. I don't know, and I don't really care." It hadn't been her biological mom who was sitting with her every day and helping her write personal statements and essays so she could go to university. It wasn't her biological mother who called in favors so she could have plenty of experience in the hospital or research experience this summer. Plus she had heard her grandparents commenting about how her biological mother tried to extort money from her mom when her mom was trying to make them a proper family.

"You're not upset that I hid the letters from you?"

"No, not anymore," Harper shrugged. She had peeked herself and it's not like her mother had hidden letters that were of her biological mother trying to have a relationship with her. They were just crappy birthday cards, some weren't even signed.

"Wait but—" Bela rubbed her head confused. "I don't get it."

"Before I met your mother, I was with another omega. I tried to mate with her but it didn't work," Charlie responds finally turning to her youngest. "She never spoke to me after that failed attempt, and she got pregnant with Harper. I didn't know about her until—"

"She abandoned me. She found her alpha and abandoned me because he told her too," Harper interrupts. "She left me with mom and mom raised me all by herself until she met Mami."

"That sounds like a bad alpha, you're not supposed to tell your omega what to do." Bela frowns, trying to make sense of it. She's been learning a lot from her abuela about being a good alpha.

"Which is why I'm so glad that your mom is _my_ alpha." Santana explains. "Because you are right. A good alpha is kind and protects their omega. But some alphas aren't strong enough to put their omega's needs first, and some omegas aren't strong enough to say no to their alpha when they are wrong."

Bela nods and looks at her mom for a moment, "You always say no to mom."

Santana laughs, "I know, but sometimes I'm wrong and your mom has to be patient with me. A relationship between an alpha and omega is give and take. It's about compromise, which is easier when you've found your mate."

Bela studied Harper for a second and then her Mami, "But why did you fall in love with mom then? She had a baby."

"She was my mate, and honestly Harper needed me. You should have seen the state your mom was in before I got my hands on her. You think she was the best fighter in the world? No, Harper was surviving on mac and cheese every night or sandwiches. I fell in love with your mom because I saw how much she loved Harper, how protective she was, and I knew that she was the person I wanted to wake up next to, and possibly be the mother of my children. She gave me two amazing daughters after all."

"You got mac and cheese _every_ night?" Bela gasps. That almost sounds too good to be true.

"Focus." Harper snorts. "The point is, that all of us are better together."

"Oh." Bela nods slowly before turning to her mom. Maybe she wasn't a terrible alpha after all. "Well I'm your sister—your only sister right?"

"The only one that matters." Harper smiles. She's sure her bio-mom probably has her own kids, but that's not really something she cares about. Bela is her sister and Santana is her mom.

Bela grins and hugs her sister tightly, Harper really was the best sister in the world, and she got to do fun stuff with her all the time and unlike Beth, Harper didn't treat her like a baby. "Well you're my favorite sister. Even if you use my stuff all the time."

Charlie's stomach growled loudly and Santana smirks. "On that note, Harper your mom and I have one other present for you. Then we can go get breakfast."

Charlie rubs her stomach gingerly. "Which is good, because I'm starving." She gingerly hands over the box and places it on Harper's desk. Harper can keep them or throw them all out, she doesn't care. But she'll let Harper make that choice.

"So you aren't a wizard, though?" Bela asks her sister, just to be sure.

"I am, but _shush_." Harper teases. "You're old enough to know my secret now, and you can't tell anyone outside of the family."

Santana shakes her head, fishing the keys out of her pocket and tossing them to Harper. "Alright kid, get up and put on clothes that don't make you look homeless. You're driving."

"I'm—what?"

"Apparently a little slow." Charlie teases. "Those are the keys to your new car, unless you want us to take it back and we can get you another mug. Maybe even one for Bela too."

"You got me a car?" Harper's eyes widened.

"Yes, we did, and I'll even pay for gas and your insurance so you no longer have to bum rides off that putz." Charlie sniffs.

Harper blinks and looks at Santana, "I told her that you were just friends but she insisted," It had been difficult enough to convince her parents to stay out of it, but it was her eighteenth birthday, but her mate _really_ didn't like Harper's alpha friends.

Harper glanced at her mom and immediately launched herself into Charlie's arms, "Don't worry mom, you're still the number one alpha in my life."

" _Hey_!" Bela huffed and stomped her foot.

Charlie hugs her daughter back, "You're always going to be my baby girl, and don't tell Bela but you're my favorite."

" _Mom!_ "

Santana rolls her eyes and smacks Charlie upside the head. "Don't be mean to Bela," she insists as Harper pulls away from her mom to throw her arms around her.

"Yeah, don't be mean to me," Bela sniffs before latching onto her mami and Harper, hugging them both, "Now can we go get pancakes? I'm _starving_."

Charlie studies her family for a moment, years ago she had never thought that she'd be here. Have a successful career, two great kids—well most of the time, and a beautiful mate. But here there were, and most importantly she was happy. And to think this was only because Santana had walked into her life and stitched up her eyebrow. She could only hope that Harper and Bela found someone who loved them as much as she loved Santana, and as much as Santana loved her.

* * *

 **AN: So that's it, that's our story. Thank you for reading, I'm not quite sure what's next but I imagine it's a quick gender-swap Charlie, not quite sure though. I started a bit of a new trend for a bit for my s. But hopefully by the time that story is done, you'll get a few more stories. Anyway thank you for your reviews.**


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